


In Another World

by Basmathgirl



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Nativity 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-06 07:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 59,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1103915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basmathgirl/pseuds/Basmathgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an AU, Donna Noble meets John Smith at the beginning of a new life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** “think of David Tennant as a hill farmer” provided by hubby (one night when I claimed counting sheep wouldn't help me sleep)  
>  **Disclaimer:** I sort of own the man that made me think of this; does that count?  
>  **A/N:** it will soon become apparent that I know next to nothing about hill farming, so I’ll stop the pretence right here.

The farmhouse door slammed shut, and out marched a darkly brooding man tightly wrapped against the cooling elements as he trudged across the mud; his cap pulled tight over his head and his thoughts concentrated on his tasks for the day. To family he was known as “young John”, to friends as “Dr John”; and to himself he was merely an idiot. He had a load of silage to deal with, and it was going to be a very long time until he saw his bed.

Sitting in the entrance to the farm yard stood his transport, a fairly modern tractor that had once been the envy of all their neighbours. That had been such a long time ago, back when he had contemplated staying at university to add to his degrees. Never mind. All gone now. That dream no longer existed. Sometimes it pained his heart to know that things could have been completely different, but it was foolish to go down that route.

Jez the sheepdog came running out of the farmhouse and gave John an accusing look as he stood awaiting instructions from his master; but the border collie wasn’t needed that day, so he skulked off to investigate what the chickens were up to once he was dismissed.

 

Turning left off the main carriageway and away from the traffic, Donna found herself in the sudden solitude of Hanging Lane and breathed a sigh of relief. Evidently she was getting nearer to her new job. Gawd knows why she had been chosen to come up here to the middle of nowhere, but she had jumped at the chance to work in an atmosphere that was totally different to the one she normally resided, on the outskirts of London. As a townie she was suspicious of all this openness with its greenery, but she was sure she’d get used to it by the time her current stint as a secretary ended. Call it a working holiday, if you will.

With growing caution, she steered her small blue Peugeot down the narrow country lane, unable to see anything other than the casually dotted trees and enclosing hedgerows that surrounded the fields. There could be a whole amusement park on the other side of that woody growth for all she knew, or absolutely nothing at all except for grass. There was no way of knowing without actually climbing up and looking over the hedge.

Then suddenly there was a break in the hedge, showing a metal five bar gate guarding the entrance to a fairly desolate looking field of what could have been grass, carrot tops or anything else. Donna wasn’t exactly up on that sort of knowledge. She smiled as she took the opportunity to peer into another world.

“You have reached your destination,” the car satnav abruptly announced.

“You what?!” Donna exclaimed as she slowly stopped the car, and sought out the cottage from the address slip she’d been given. “Where is it? There’s nothing here, you idiot!”

And indeed there wasn’t any dwelling whatsoever to find on that stretch of road. All there was within sight was the continuing hedgerow growth and the fields either side of the lane.

“This can’t be right,” Donna muttered to no one in particular, and dived into the glove compartment in the vain hope she had remembered to leave a copy of a road atlas in there without realising it. Alas it was empty of anything so useful; unless you count a packet of tissues and three CDs as being particularly helpful when navigating a vehicle.

Having stopped the car, she became aware of the sound of another engine reasonably near. A farm type engine, to be precise. A relieved smile spread across her face. This meant there might be intelligent life nearby that could possibly tell her in which direction to go.

Carefully stepping out of the car, just in case there was some mud or muck she would need to negotiate, she stood up and turned her head about in order to work out where the engine noise was coming from. Luck had it that it was quite close and near the gate she had just passed. With a refined dash, well, as refined as you can be in heels, she ran towards the gate and the sound.

Bugger! She would have to climb it to see properly. Using a well-placed foot on the bottom rung of the gate, she pulled herself up and was delighted to see a blue tractor being driven by a man. With no particular plan in her head, she waved madly at him whilst shouting, “Excuse me! Can you help?”

John thought he was hallucinating when he saw what he thought at first was an angel sitting on his fence. A woman had appeared with beautiful flowing hair, and wearing a cream coloured woollen coat ensemble with matching knee high boots. A second glance showed that she was almost sitting astride the gate whilst waving desperately. Presumably the waving was intended for him.

It was hard to miss her long distinguishable hair; exquisite ginger hair. For some reason he had always had a ‘thing’ for ginger hair; and in her case it definitely helped as she tried to attract his attention. She was certainly putting a lot of effort into the waving.

Was she some passing posh weekender who thought he carried bottles of fresh milk on his person? It wouldn’t have surprised him. Such people often assumed all sorts of things.

Aiming for nonchalance, he stopped to find out what she wanted. After slowing the tractor to a halt he changed his first dismissive impression and realised she not only looked more than pensive, she was also rather pretty. In fact he’d go as far as saying she was gorgeous. Today might be his lucky day.

She let out a breath of joy when he seemed to notice her and brought the tractor to a halt about ten feet away from where she still stood on the gate like one of the Railway Children; but without waving the red flannel knickers on a stick, obviously.

He put his head out of the cab window and called out, “What did you say?”

Typical, she thought. Men can never hear you when you need them to. With any luck Bob the Builder here would be able to fix it. “I said, ‘can you help me?’ I’m having a spot of bother!” she yelled when silence returned to the field.

Trouble? That instantly caught his attention once he’d wrestled his brain into action; and he wondered what sort of bother she was in. Probably a spot of car trouble with her engine, no doubt, like running out of petrol; or something as simple as being stuck in the mud. Except there wasn’t any mud in that part of the lane to get stuck in…

“What sort of trouble?” he suavely wondered once he had climbed down out of the cab and he got close enough to properly see her in fine detail. The nearer he got the more he liked what he saw.

A piece of paper was hastily produced from her coat pocket and waved under his nose. “I’m looking for this address. Do you know it?”

He took the paper carefully from her outstretched fingers and read it, instantly recognising the name. “You want Lilac Cottage? You’re not all that far from it. It’s about a mile and a half away,” he supplied, adding in a vague bit of fingering pointing.

“My satnav insisted I’d found my destination,” Donna explained her actions. “Stupid thing!”

“Why did it do that?” he asked as he handed the piece of paper back to be hidden away in her pocket, having surreptitiously read her other details on there.

“I don’t know, do I?” she whined, climbing back down to stand on the ground again. “If you think you know better, mate, you go deal with it and I’ll stand there in your field doing my best to make you feel stupid.”

It was all he could do to not throw a glare at her; he rather liked her impertinence. “Okay, if you insist,” he retorted, and immediately opened the gate to walk though and follow her to the car. He could feel her eyes looking with disapproval at his wellie boots. “I won’t get mud on your carpet. Promise.” With that, he confidently trudged over to where her car still sat waiting patiently for her return.

“You’d better not,” she snarled as he joined her by sitting on the front passenger seat, “otherwise you can clean it off.”

Ignoring that threat, he took the liberty of switching her satnav system on. It sort of did nothing. They sat for an awkward minute as it waited to boot itself up, find satellites and then display her current position after she re-explained what had happened earlier and he listened good-naturedly with suppressed amusement. “Ah, there’s your problem,” he smugly noted, prodding the monitor. “You’re in the wrong place.”

“No kidding, Sherlock,” she sarcastically commented. “I was there for that one. What I don’t know is why. It was clear as day where I should go when it showed the whole journey before I set off.”

A glance at her manicured hands solved that mystery. “It was your fingernail. You must have caught it on the screen and repositioned your destination by accident,” he triumphantly declared. “It’s easily done,” he added when she looked crestfallen.

“Yeah, if you’re a stupid cow,” she self-deprecated, and averted her gaze.

His heart went out to her in sympathy. It was obvious that she often put herself down and he really didn’t like that thought; not when it was someone as lovely and ginger as her. “You really aren’t far away from Lilac Cottage. Carry on down this road and it’s up on your right, near the village green.” Clearing his throat, he inquired, “Are you visiting family?”

Donna chuckled and flashed him a warm smile; one that matched his own. He had quite nice soft brown eyes, she mentally noted, as distinguishing wrinkles appeared around them; followed by the thought, ‘I wonder if he has got any hair under that cap.’ Knowing her luck he’d have one of those horrible comb-overs bald men used to have.

“No, not family,” she confessed. “I’m up here for a job and I’m really late now. I was supposed to be there by twelve.”

“Blame me for keeping you talking, if you like,” he magnanimously offered. Phew! There didn’t seem to suggest there was any sign of a dependent child, or man… not that he was interested to know that snippet; much. “A job? Doing what, if you don’t mind me asking?” he bashfully wondered.

“That’s okay,” she smiled. “I’m here to help Jocasta Newberry with her latest book. Do you know her?”

John shook his head. “Not personally. There are a lot of people I don’t know in the village these days. What sort of book is it?”

“As long as it’s not long and boring I don’t care,” she admitted as they still sat gazing at each other. “I’m Donna, by the way. Donna Noble.” She stuck out a hand.

He took her offered hand and shook it with glee. “I’m John Smith. Nice to meet you, Donna.” ‘Such a soft warm hand,’ he noted. And there was no wedding or engagement ring. “Perhaps we’ll erm... We’ll get to meet again soon.”

“That would be nice,” she agreed, and realised she was gawping at him. “I’d better let you get back to work. You’ve no doubt got more important things to deal with. I think your wife might take exception to you sitting in a strange woman’s car.”

“It was a pleasure,” he gushed with sincerity in return. “And I don’t have a wife or anything to get upset about me gaining a new friend; so if you ever feel like meeting me in the Red Lion for a welcoming drink, please feel free to.” That was smooth, wasn’t it? Surely he hadn’t overplayed his hand, and made it ambiguous enough if she wasn’t interested in taking this whatever-it-was between them a step further.

He wasn’t married or anything! Donna mentally danced a victory dance. “That would be lovely, thank you. A proper village pub drink. There’s only one thing I need to ask you now that I think about it.”

“Oh?” he gasped, instantly worried what was coming next to dash his newly formed hopes.

Instead she did her best to smile brightly. “Where exactly is the Red Lion?”

The broadest grin she’d ever seen lit up his face. “It’s right by the village green; you can’t miss it when you look across from Lilac Cottage.

“Across the green,” she confirmed by repeating to herself. “I’ll see you around then, John.”

“Until then, Donna,” he cheerily bid her goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

A few seconds later John was left standing alone in the lane waving at Donna’s departing car. As soon as she was out of sight he hastily pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number. “Hello, Mum? Are my black jeans clean? I need them for tonight.... Oh nothing, just might be meeting a friend for a drink, so I’ll be leaving home just after seven... You will?! Thanks Mum! See you later. Bye.”

With an added spring in his step, he headed back to his task, feeling that the world was suddenly opening up all sorts of possibilities. 

 

Ten minutes later, Donna found herself parked outside Lilac Cottage; taking in all its glory. It was everything the name suggested and more. In fact it was utterly gorgeous with it pale lilac daubed walls, thatched roof, Tudor beams and pretty cottage garden full of all sorts of plants. Just the sort of place that would be breath-taking in the height of summer because it looked pretty good in the drabness of a clearing misty day. 

She hadn’t even reached the oak dark-stained front door with leaded windows and cast iron adornments when it was opened, and an older woman peeped out. Donna estimated that she was probably close to her own mother in age but perhaps a good five years younger.

“Hello!” she exclaimed. “You must be Donna.”

“I am,” Donna readily confirmed with relief.

“Come in. Come in. I’m Jocasta.” She reached out to grab hold of Donna’s arm and guide her in through the door. “I was worried you had changed your mind.”

Donna found herself standing in a low ceiling room with a small, deeply set window that let in plenty of light into a warm looking, tastefully and sympathetically furnished living room. One wall was dominated by a huge brick fireplace, probably an original feature, and a wood burning fire. Another wall held an enclosed flight of stairs up to the bedrooms. “Oh no, I wouldn’t have done that,” she tried to console Jocasta. “I got lost, thanks to my stupid satnav leading me in the wrong direction; but I did get the chance to meet a very nice man who told me how to get here.”

Jocasta was intrigued by the sudden blush that appeared on Donna’s cheeks. “Was that very far from here? I may know him.”

“I think it was a couple of miles back towards Charlham. He said his name was John, and he drives a tractor,” Donna supplied. 

“Hmm. It might be someone from Hollow Farm or Winthrop Hall Farm,” Jocasta guessed thoughtfully. “Oh well! I might recognise him if I ever see him. Come through to the kitchen and I’ll make us tea before I show you where everything is.”

Donna gratefully followed her into a surprisingly modern kitchen. The only nod towards the past was the almost compulsory AGA cooker that probably also supplied the heating and hot water. Many such cottages had them. 

“We’ll have some lunch once you’ve brought your belongings in and you’ve seen your workspace,” Jocasta declared decisively.

Donna could tell that Jocasta’s general no nonsense attitude would extend to every aspect of her life. Even Jocasta’s clothing was functional and had a style of its own. “Talking of work, what sort of thing do you do? I know you’re a writer, obviously, otherwise you wouldn’t need me here, but I don’t know anything beyond that.”

“Don’t you, dear?” Jocasta seemed rather taken aback that Donna didn’t know her fame. “I write historical novels; romantic historical novels, to be precise. Ever heard of Brannigan’s Bard?” Getting a shake of the head, she forged on with, “Mission Reliable? Wessex Foolery? Oh you must know Walk of the White Lady!”

“I’m afraid not,” Donna admitted, still shaking her head. “I’m more of a P. D. James or Agatha Christie reader, to be honest, although I did once read an Elizabeth Armitage.” That admission didn’t go down very well. 

Jocasta sneered, “One wonders why you would.”

Best not to mention Elizabeth Armitage then. “It was just lying about when I was on holiday,” Donna apologised. “I didn’t specifically choose it.”

“Yes, well, enough about that. You’ll soon become acquainted with my work.” There was much bustling about, getting out the tea things on the worktop in front of her whilst the kettle boiled. 

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” Donna vowed, partly in appeasement. 

They sat down together at the small kitchen table to enjoy their beverage.

After having poured them both tea and taken several sips of the hot liquid, Jocasta thoughtfully considered Donna. “What do young people do in the evening?”

“Wear hoodies and hang about being bored underneath streetlights, from what I’ve seen round our way. Why?” Donna asked in return, sipping from her own cup.

Jocasta sighed. “No, my dear. I’m trying to find out what you would like to do for entertainment this evening.”

“Oh, I see! Not that I’d class myself as being young anymore,” Donna modestly blurted out, and then blushed as she remembered her earlier encounter. “I erm... Seeing as you have nothing planned I can think of something to possibly try out tonight.”

“Really?” It wasn’t exactly a surprise to Jocasta’s ears; she was expecting her new acquaintance to rattle off a list of all the television soap operas she wanted to view. That is, she did, until she spotted the accompanying blush.

“Yes. Sorry about this, seeing as it’s my first night here, but John mentioned a pub around here called the Red Lion.” Donna then did her level best to nonchalantly drink the rest of her tea. “We could go there tonight, you know, if you fancy giving it a go.”

“Me... in a pub...,” Jocasta muttered to herself as ideas whirled through her head. Here was a first class opportunity to observe a possible brand new romance up-close; it’d be invaluable research for future writings. She leaned in closer to Donna and proffered her first query. “Tell me, my dear, what did you think when you first saw this John?”

That didn’t need much thinking about in the slightest. “Relief, mainly. The satnav had dumped me in god knows where, and he just showed up in his tractor.”

“Describe him for me, please,” Jocasta urged her to continue with.

“Well erm… He’s quite tall, about the same age as me, fairly slim built, he was wearing your typical farmer gear; you know, big black coat, flat cap and green wellies. Oh, he has a nice unshaven face with these big brown eyes, and as far as I know he isn’t married or anything.” Donna briefly grimaced. “He could be newly divorced. Who knows?” A little shrug was added for emphasis. 

That was interesting, Jocasta thought. Nothing was discouraging so far. “And what do you suppose he thought when he saw you?”

“I have no idea! Probably saw a batty woman hanging on his gate shouting at him and took pity on me, for all I know. I wasn’t worrying about that aspect; I just wanted him to tell me where I was going,” Donna answered honestly.

“Interesting,” Jocasta sighed. “How did he come to mention the pub?”

“It’s strange you should ask,” Donna admitted, “because I’ve been wondering that myself and just assumed he was being friendly after all we’d talked about. I told him about my satnav, he came and sat in my car...”

“He sat in your car?!” Jocasta interrupted. 

Donna anxiously licked her lips at the implied accusation. It hadn’t seemed a wrong thing to happen at the time but now she was being forced to reconsider it. “He did; to see why my satnav had thought I’d reached my destination,” she hastily excused him. “We decided I’d caught the screen with my nail.” She held up the offending finger. “Then he reset it all, told me where this place is and then invited me to a welcome drink some time. He was very nice about it all; not a bit creepy.”

“I’m sure he isn’t, but I must admit that I like the idea of actually going into the local pub and possibly getting a sneaky peek at your rescuer. Yes, I shall take you up on your offer and stay for a while.” Jocasta obliviously rubbed her hands together in glee. “It will be such an adventure! Just think of it; I can see the title page already.”

Title page?! “Title page of what exactly?” Donna wondered.

“Why, my next book, my dear! I shall use this experience to decide on my characters. Of course, I shall change the names from the people in the pub,” she added as she gripped Donna’s arm conspiratorially. “We can’t have them trying to claim royalties, or sue me for defamation of character.”

“Of course,” Donna murmured in reluctant agreement. “This next book, which I am assuming will be a romance; you’d better not be thinking of putting me in there,” she warned.

Jocasta instantly looked extremely guilty. “You, dear? No, dear! I would never do that to you; not without consultation.”

That was a ‘yes’ then. Donna tried to hide her appalled expression behind her fingers. Her new employer was turning out to be nuttier than a fruit cake. A bit dotty, but nice with it; and this was her first time working for a writer. For all she knew this was a tendency of writers... Or not, as the case may be.

 

This view continued when Jocasta showed Donna the pile of work she would have to surmount. There were folders and files propped up at all sorts of odd angles around the small office space that had taken over the vast majority of what would have been the dining room. In one corner there was an ancient filing cabinet, and a gasping cheese plant sitting in an ornate pot, that had seen better days. Fortunately the computer and its printer were fairly new and reliable models.

“I’m afraid there are rather a lot of papers,” Jocasta apologised. “My last typist got rather confused, and mixed up all sorts of things.”

“So you’ve always used a typist?” Donna enquired.

Jocasta nodded. “I suppose that I should have explained that I dictate my stories and then revise as I go along. Is that a problem for your skills? I could use a personal assistant in my daily life to help me sort things out.”

Donna smiled confidently back. “Not a problem at all, Ms Newberry.”

“Call me Jocasta, please.” A relieved smile spread across her employer’s face.

 

The smile on Donna’s face faltered slightly as she considered her reflection in her newly acquired bedroom mirror some hours later as she got ready for their trip to the pub, and her thoughts inevitably led to John the farmer’s boy. Was she mad for not pushing for a date with him but leaving things really vague between them? Was she mad for questioning this decision? Or was she madder for having told Jocasta? It was all very bewildering, to be honest, and a little exciting.

It was a rather old mirror hanging on her new wall. In fact every item of furniture in the low-ceilinged room was probably antique and expensive, or at least extremely hard to replace. Fortunately the bedding was all fresh and new, so that was a relief to her system. The general quietness of the place was a little unsettling but she was sure she’d adapt, eventually. Anything had to be better than the constant hubbub of the city and the people there... okay, one particular person.

A sharp rap on the door brought her out of her musings.

“Are you ready, Donna?” Jocasta stood expectantly on the small landing. “Do you think I should take my notepad?”

This would be like dealing with a child, she realised. “Definitely not, if they aren’t used to seeing you in there. They’ll end up thinking you are an inspector, or just plain rude,” Donna warned her.

Jocasta’s eager face fell. “Okay, if you think so. But another time...?”

“Yes, another time,” Donna agreed with a friendly touch on the arm. “Let’s get going.” Who’d have thought she’d end up leading an older woman astray on her first night in this job? It certainly felt like she was leading Jocasta into a midnight feast or a jolly jamboree from one of those Enid Blyton books.


	3. Chapter 3

When they stepped through the ornate wooden pub doors the clock above the bar said it was precisely seven thirty; but Donna wasn’t especially worried about that. Instead sense of excitement within her sought a particular form that she hoped was in there, somewhere. Alas, she couldn’t spot him. 

The pub interior was full of low wooden beams and loud red carpeting, like many country pubs seemed to have, around a fireplace decorated with horse brasses. There were half a dozen or so people already in the bar, so she lead Jocasta further in. “You sit yourself down here...” She guided her to a seat by the large fireplace that dominated one corner of the salon where Jocasta would be able to observe almost everybody. “...and I’ll go and get us a drink while we wait. What can I get you?”

Jocasta nervously smiled her thanks, requesting, “A glass of white wine if they have it, or a sweet sherry if they don’t, please.” 

After draping her coat over the back of her assigned chair, Donna then headed for the bar. She had almost reached it when the sole bloke leaning against it turned and she was able to see his face. 

“Hello!” she gasped out in surprise.

Before her was not some near-middle aged balding man with terrible dress sense and the faint odour of cow dung that she’d been anticipating. No, instead was a well-dressed nearing middle-age man in black tight fitting jeans that showed off his bum very nicely, a black shirt covered by a charcoal jumper, a dazzling smile on a still handsome face, topped by a thick head of brown hair that framed his features in such a way that she instantly wanted to reach out and swipe his fringe out of his smouldering chocolate-y velvet brown eyes. Gobsmacked is the phrase she’d use to describe herself in that instance as she took in his transformation.

“Hello!” John greeted her in return. It was her; it was actually her! All it had taken was a casual invitation for the woman he wanted to appear to stand before him, so taking a deep breath to calm his nerves; he took the initiative to lean forward and kiss her cheek. It was a risk that immediately paid off in droves; and he wasn’t just talking about the chance to taste her soft skin. He’d heard that city types liked that sort of thing, and evidently she did, judging by the way she moved closer. He had to say, she looked stunning as she stood before him wearing a blue dress this time, in a shade which brought out the colour of her eyes beautifully. “Let me get you a drink. What would you like?”

Despite hearing this expected question, she was caught completely off guard. “Oh erm. A Coke for me, please, and do they have a white wine? I’ve brought along my employer, you see; she hasn’t been in here before and wanted to see who came in, so...,” Donna apologetically blustered.

John smiled kindly. His evening may have taken an unwanted turn but he didn’t have to be an arse about it. It was retrievable. “That’s okay. I understand.”

“You’ll understand a bit more when you meet her,” she confessed in a low tone.

He liked the way she had leaned in to whisper into his ear, brushing her whole body against his in a tantalising way. The next second it was sadly over and she was standing away from his personal zone, but not too far, he noted.

The barman soon appeared on the other side of the bar and dealt with their order, so John took the opportunity to gaze upon Donna as she stood before him. There was a strange mix of anxiety and confidence in her pose. “Is there something the matter?” he asked.

She grimaced ever so slightly for a second. “No, not really but I think I’d better warn you that I found out what sort of writer Jocasta is.”

Intrigued, he pressed her for information. “Is it something good or bad? Will she be plotting my murder by the end of the evening, or how to organise my chrysanthemums?”

“Probably the complete opposite of murder, but it would involve groaning.” Donna blushed when his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Yeah, she really didn’t need to fancy this man-puppy any more than she did at the moment, but she had to warn him. “She writes romances; historical romances.”

“And...?” he encouraged as he handed her a filled glass before picking up the wine and his own beer.

Donna started to lead the way to their table, telling him as she turned, “We might end up in her next book.”

He let that sink in as he followed but he was instantly distracted by the sway of her hips and the way her dress skimmed over her bottom to land mid-thigh, letting his gaze easily glide down her long legs. As his American friend would say, she had a mighty fine ass! The view was certainly doing things to him as he watched her manoeuvre her way across the pub. She stopped in front of a bizarrely dressed woman who looked old enough to be her mother but obviously wasn’t. There was more than a vague familiarity about her as she stared up at him inquisitively.

“Jocasta, this is John that I met this afternoon. John, my employer, Jocasta,” Donna made the introductions, and watched as they briefly shook hands.

“You might have seen me before. I’ve lived here in the village for almost seven years now,” Jocasta brightly added as she took him in. Hmm. She could certainly see what had caught Donna’s eye. Whether he was worth the interest was about to be found out.

“Seven years? Still quite new around here then,” John commented as he stood within her enquiring gaze.

“How long does it take normally take to be accepted as a local?” Donna couldn’t help asking as they sat themselves down, and was pleased that John had shifted his chair closer to hers.

“Only a lifetime,” John joked, although he wondered if outsiders were ever considered to be local. “Is your wine okay, Jocasta?” he aimed towards her.

She took an extremely cautious sip. Then she pulled a face that was half in pain, half in satisfaction. “It will do,” she stated and then waved her hand at the two of them. “Don’t mind me; just carry on as though I weren’t here.”

Trying to stifle a laugh, Donna retorted, “It’s a bit hard to do that, Jocasta, when you might as well bring out your microscope to peer at us with.”

Jocasta merely ignored that and turned her full gaze onto John. “Tell me, John, what did you think when you first saw Donna here?”

John spluttered into the beer he was trying to drink. How was he supposed to answer that? “She suddenly appeared on the edge of our bottom field. I wondered if she were real for a second.”

“Why was that?” Jocasta enquired.

“Because she looked like...” The confession halted on his lips. He didn’t want to tell this Jocasta woman that Donna had made him think he was seeing an angel; that was for him to tell in private. “...someone wanting to know if I had any eggs on me.”

“Eggs?!” Donna sneered. “Why would I want to stop you for eggs, farm boy?!”

A chuckle almost escaped. “Outsiders to the village often expect us to carry milk and eggs with us, but you obviously didn’t.” He smiled consolingly. “Although I did expect your car to be stuck in the mud or a ditch somewhere.”

She lightly swatted his arm. “I’m not that daft!”

“How am I to know?” he teased. Oh how he wanted to reach out and touch her then, any small gesture would do; but for some reason they had ended up with a chaperone. “But I’m hoping you have more than a few brain cells to rub together.”

“Why’s that?” Donna queried, swiftly intrigued. “Are you secretly working for MI5? Will you suddenly swing into my bedroom with a box of Black Magic?”

“Because the lady loves,” John quoted the old chocolates advert, and they giggled together. “No, although if you want me to come in your bedroom I...” His attention was abruptly focused on the fact that Jocasta was sitting there, peering at him intensely, so he cleared his throat and returned to Donna’s original question. “I usually come in here on a Monday night to take part in a pub quiz, if you’re interested.”

“I’m game; what about you, Jocasta?” Donna enthused and then waited for the answer.

“Ooh, a pub quiz. How spiffing! I’ve never seen one in action. I may sit and watch for a while if I don’t know any of the non-book answers,” Jocasta eagerly replied. “Don’t mind me; just go ahead with your fun. But I want to leave before it gets too dark. I hope you don’t mind too much.” She set her beady eyes on Donna to emphasise her point.

“Alright,” Donna reluctantly agreed. “I’ll make sure you get home safely. Did you have any plans in mind for later?”

Jocasta primly replied, “I plan to be tucked up in bed reading a book so I don’t want to get home too late.”

“What time is too late?” Donna asked, hoping it wouldn’t be too early; and revised her own plans for being tucked up in bed or anywhere else.

“Well, you both have work in the morning,” Jocasta reminded her, “so I think no later than an hour before closing time, don’t you?!”

Donna nodded her agreement. Jocasta had a point after all; so she turned her attention onto John. “What’s the setup for this quiz?”

Smirking in delight, he drew out his writing implements. “All we need is a spare half hour or so, some brains and the provided answer sheet.”

Normally John joined some others in a quiz team but he decided to start his own little team with Donna and Jocasta. Fortunately he had had the chance to forewarn his team mates of this possible decision, sure in the knowledge they’d understand, just this once, and not doubting he’d gain some light-hearted ribbing over it. 

When the questions started up it was easy to forget that Jocasta was sitting watching everything, and he almost snuggled up with Donna over their sheet of paper as they jotted down their answers. He let her do the writing whilst he whispered into her ear. Excellent plan, he decided, since this required wrapping his left arm around her shoulder and keeping his right hand on the table next to hers, occasionally taking over the writing when he knew that the answer required a particularly tricky word. That was his excuse for almost holding hands or trailing his fingertips across her exposed skin every now and then as they exchanged responses, of the verbal and nonverbal kind. 

By the end of the quiz, he was pleasantly surprised how far her general knowledge went; she answered some sports questions he would never have known, and he could feel her being impressed by his scientific knowledge. Together they managed to gain quite an impressive score. Of course it had been the one question they had disagreed over and guessed the answer for that lost them the contest to another team, but it didn’t really matter; for John was certain he was winning in the grand scheme of things by having such a delectable companion for the evening.

“Thank you,” he murmured and brought her hand up to kiss the back of it in a gentlemanly manner, pressing his soft lips onto her pale but freckly skin. 

Donna was taken aback that he’d done this, but then he had spent the entire time placing tender touches on her hand whilst keeping those lips of his within easy snogging distance. He was keen, she had to give him that; and he smelt divine! When you added it all up, he was a gorgeous package that any woman would be happy to have practically drooling over them. “You’re welcome,” she gushed in return. “Jocasta’s no doubt getting ready to go,” she noted as Jocasta headed towards the toilets. “I wonder if she got what she wanted?”

“No doubt,” John retorted low into her ear. “Look, I’m not trying to be mean, but can we not worry about her for a minute? Right now I couldn’t care less, and I’d much rather talk about you.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Me? There’s nothing to tell,” Donna modestly blustered. “I’m not that interesting. Now you, you are far more worth talking about. Where did all that science stuff come from? Not off a packet of seeds, that’s for sure.”

John grinned proudly. “I have degrees in applied physics and mechanical engineering.”

“Oh wow!” she gasped, clearly impressed. “Why aren’t you doing that instead of driving a tractor?” 

It was obviously a topic that pained him. “I would have gone further but Dad needed me home, so home I came. The sheep don’t worry much about such things. But I keep my hand in, by doing a spot of training down at the local college; and it helps supplement my income on the farm. Hill farming isn’t exactly a great payer these days.”

“I’m sorry,” she sympathised, and took the chance to lay a hand on top of his; enjoying the gentle squeeze it elicited. Any second now those lips would be hers.

Their evening together abruptly ended as soon as Jocasta arrived back at the table. “Time to leave, I think, Donna dear,” she requested. 

With many promises to contact each other soon, John found himself standing alone, watching Donna go. 

“Hiya buddy!” a loud American voice accompanied a slap on the back.

“Jack! How are you? What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Mildenhall,” John cried out in delight when he turned to view whoever it was.

“I’m well, thanks; just passing through, on the way to considering a new position.” Jack warmly greeted him and they briefly hugged. “It’s been too long since I saw you. How are the folks?”

“Fine; they’re just fine.” John couldn’t stop grinning at his friend. “Where are you staying?”

“With Martha, of course.” Jack then waved his finger towards the pub doors. “Who was the little redhead I saw you with as I came in?” he asked inquisitively.

“Oh…, that was Donna. My new friend Donna. I invited her here for a drink… a welcoming drink to the village,” John bashfully answered.

“I see,” Jack replied, already guessing where his friend’s thoughts were going on this issue. “What’s she going to do around here?” He didn’t want to offend his friend but the place didn’t have many attractions to lure newcomers.

“Her agency sent her here, to work for a local writer, would you believe,” John said as he tried to repress his glee.

“Agency?” Jack repeated in horror. “Oh no! I thought I’d cancelled that.”

This suddenly sounded potentially bad. “What have you got to do with Donna working for an agency?” John inevitably asked in his confusion.

Jack looked around them to check no one was attempting to listen to their conversation before wrapping an arm around John’s shoulders and whispering, “I have a small confession.”

“Jack! What did you do?” John cried out in warning. 

There was no going back now, so Jack had to tell the truth. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but we thought it would be fun to arrange for a girl to come and entertain you.”

“A girl, as in an escort agency type of girl?” John sought to confirm. His soul was already trying to escape from its confines with a downward journey through his socks. 

Trying to console his friend, Jack cheerily answered, “No big deal, Doctor! It was just an idea to get you out of a rut. For what it’s worth, Martha thought it was a stupid idea and tried to talk us out of it.”

“Well, she would,” John commented, deep in thought. “So Donna was only being nice to me because…”

Jack slapped him on the back again. “You have a lot of redeeming qualities that I’m sure any woman would appreciate.”

“But not without being paid first,” John forlornly stated. “Listen Jack, do you mind if we do this catch up later? I have to get home. I need an early night; busy day tomorrow.”

“Sure!” Jack smiled warmly at him. “You still lecturing up at the college?”

“Yes, three nights a week,” John said distractedly as he stood gazing blankly at the place he’d been talking to Donna. “Will you still be here on Friday?”

“Until Sunday afternoon, so don’t go running off now,” Jack playful threatened.

“I’ll see you Friday then,” John replied as he bade him farewell. He couldn’t wait to get out of the pub and examine his thoughts.

Donna... A prostitute? Really?! It still didn’t seem right. And what did that make Jocasta? A madam, peddling love; and apparently making a living writing about it. Unless that was a pseudonym for what she did? She certainly wasn’t what he would have expected a sex worker to look like. Nor was Donna, come to that. Was he some huge idiot for falling for a high class tart like this? With a surge of fury, he repeatedly thumped his steering wheel hard as he drove along, and resolved to personally ask her outright at the first opportunity.

 

“That you, John?” his mother called out when the front door was slammed shut. “Did your meet up go alright?”

John appeared before her, looking very downhearted. “It was okay,” he muttered and then plonked himself down on a seat by her side.

“That good, eh,” she commented as he continued to angrily pout whilst pretending to watch the television. This needed more careful handling; he’d been so full of excited anticipation before he went out for the evening. “Did she turn up, as you’d hoped?”

He slunk further into his seat and rested his head on his hand. “Yes, she was there.”

This was beginning to feel like twenty questions. “Was she there with someone else?”

“Sort of,” he glumly supplied. “She brought her employer with her; Jocasta, the woman that lives in Lilac Cottage.”

“Oh, her!” his mum exclaimed. “Jocasta Newberry. She seems okay though a bit posh and full of herself.” In fact she knew her a bit better than that, but she wanted to sound suitably vague about the situation. 

“That’s her,” John confirmed, and glanced at where his dad was slumped over asleep in his favourite armchair. “Mum, don’t tell Dad this, but... I feel like such an idiot right now.”

“Why’s that, pet?” she sympathised.

“Because I met this beautiful woman, and for a moment I thought she was really interested in me,” he sighed.

“What did she do to make you think she wasn’t?” his mother wondered. “Did she go after another man?”

His face instantly fell further, if that was at all possible. “Nothing like that,” he dismissed. “She only left to take that Jocasta home. We had been sitting, talking and drinking... and things.” A wistful smile appeared on his face as he recalled their time together. “We even arranged to meet by Friday night if we couldn’t synch diaries before then.”

“Sounds like she hated you on sight,” his mother commented sarcastically. “So what’s so terrible about all that? You’ve had far worse in the past.”

“I just don’t think I have enough for her tastes,” he lamely argued.

There was a snort of scorn. “What do you expect her tastes to be? Hitchhiking around the galaxy or something?”

“Mum!” he admonished. “I’m just saying that me being a farmer might not be enough for her.”

This seemed highly unlikely. “Did she know about our farm before you met her tonight?”

He reluctantly answered, “Well... Yeah; she saw me driving the tractor.”

The penny dropped then, and Verity Smith knew her son was talking about the woman that had made such an impression on him lunchtime. “John, just talk to her, please, before you go jumping to conclusions,” she softly begged him. “There aren’t many reasons why she would have sought you out.”

Little did she know that that wasn’t the massive comfort it should have been.

“Okay,” he promised, and instantly stood up; oozing disappointment. “I’m off to bed. Good night, Mum.”

“Night, pet,” she called out as he despondently slouched off. It was her concern for him that made her vow to contact Jocasta Newberry as soon as possible and find out what might have gone wrong. Who said mums shouldn’t interfere? 

 

“Ferrets?! You want me to research ferrets?” Donna sought to confirm as she sat at her new desk awaiting orders on her first proper day of employment.

“Yes please, dear,” Jocasta nonchalantly replied and went back to reading the morning post. 

“But... I was expecting to look up some battle or other. Why ferrets?” Donna asked, completely confused. “I assume you saw someone in the pub and saw ‘ferrets’ written all over them or something.”

Jocasta looked up from the invoice in her hands. “Yes, something like that, my dear.”

“You’re not thinking of John, are you?” Donna’s shocked tones were all too evident. “How can you look at him and think that, for goodness sake?!”

“Donna, one must never question one’s muse,” Jocasta tritely retorted.

With a resigned sigh, Donna brought up Google on her computer. “If you end up by writing a story that makes me into some sort of Vera Duckworth I’ll kill you; more than likely with one of my Northern clogs,” she muttered under her breath. “I’d get away with it too; extenuating circumstances and all that.”

Jocasta merely chuckled to herself as the next plot twist whirled in her mind. 

 

It had been almost three days since Donna had seen John, and the telephone hadn’t rung once due to him calling. Her spirits were seriously flagging. Jocasta was beginning to get more than a little worried about her new friend and John… their promising romance was going west. “Still no word from him?”

“Who?” Donna tried to nonchalantly reply to her employer. She had no intention of admitting anything; especially how hurt she was that John Smith wasn’t interested in the slightest in her after all. His first impression of her must have far outweighed his second and it was true, yet again, that she couldn’t hold a man’s interest. Her mother was completely right.

The downward mood swing was, however, noticed and filed away for future usage.

“Donna, dear, I need you to run a little errand for me,” Jocasta began to request. “The book you’ve just typed up, I want one of my friends from the reading circle to look it over before I send it off to Stoddard Press. Do you think you could print a copy and take it over to her? I’d give you the remainder of the day off...”

If that wasn’t a bribe, Donna didn’t know what was! “Alright! I’ll take a copy over to your mate’s. Where has it got to go?”

“It’s just a few miles outside the village; a little place called Hollow Farm. I’m told it’s very hard to miss it,” Jocasta encouraged her to go. 

“I’d better get printing then,” Donna commented, more to herself than anything. “Farm, did you say? Hmm. Have you got any Wellington boots I can borrow?”

“I keep my gumboots in the back porch. Why?” Jocasta openly wondered.

“Mud,” Donna replied, “there’s bound to be plenty of bloody mud, knowing the way my luck is going.” 

With that, she marched off, leaving Jocasta wondering if things would actually go in her favour. 

 

John slouched out of the lounge and aimed for the kitchen door. “I’m just going to head up to the top field before getting back to that engine,” he called out to his mother, and was surprised when she hastily rushed over to stop him disappearing out of the door.

“John, pet, do you think you could leave the engine for today? Your dad wanted a quick word,” she told him.

“He did? Why didn’t Dad say something at breakfast before he left? I’ll see him in the top field anyway, so he can tell me there,” John argued, and turned to go.

“Don’t!” she insisted, and grabbed his arm. “You know how forgetful he is these days.”

He sighed in agreement. “True; but he’s already told me about our Ricky so what else is there to say?”

“Just come back and get cleaned up, please,” she begged. “Take the time to get some of your paperwork sorted out or something, anything, but don’t touch that engine until later.”

“What are you up to?” he wondered suspiciously. “You’d better not have volunteered me for the Christmas play or something.”

“Nothing like that,” she quickly answered. 

“But there is something going on,” he pondered thoughtfully. “All I want to know is: will I be pleased?”

She beamed back at him in relief, knowing he’d make an effort now, just for her. “I hope so.”

“Alright, I’ll tackle some of my paperwork when I get back. Won't be long.” And with that, he kissed her cheek and headed out the door.

Verity smiled to herself and got back to preparing her Christmas puddings.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a grey overcast day by the time Donna packed her cargo of neatly stacked paper onto the front seat of her car and set off to Hollow Farm. Unfortunately the word ‘farm’ made her think of John, and she really didn’t want to for the moment; she needed a distraction from his antics, or rather, lack of antics. So she picked a CD to listen to whilst the satnav was making its mind up to direct her journey.

“Turn left in four hundred yards,” it stated eventually as her destination drew near.

Donna had no idea how far exactly that was to drive, but it couldn’t be that much considering roadwork signs usually started at eight hundred yards away from all the cones.

One side of the lane she was driving down was bordered by a low hedge; the other side was a pretty, dry stone wall. As she slowed up she spotted the small wooden sign that proclaimed it was Hollow Farm. So far so good. It didn’t take make effort to steer her car into the long driveway that led her up, over and sometimes sideways along some extremely bumpy and uneven ground towards a couple of farm buildings; one of which she expected to be the farmhouse. Ooh, pretty, she thought as she pulled up and parked in the dirt-covered farmyard behind a Land Rover that had been dismantled and was in bits by a barn. The hanging baskets around the farmhouse door, in particular, were a nice touch to add to the overall effect of country living, she thought. 

Within seconds the main door opened and a woman of pensionable age emerged. Just the sort of woman she would have expected Jocasta to be friends with. “Hello! Am I in the right place to find Verity?” Donna called out from her quickly opened car window. Thank goodness for electric windows; saved your arm dropping off if nothing else.

“That’s me,” the woman warily confirmed, wiping her hands on her pinny. “Did Jocasta send you?”

“Yes, I’ve brought you some reading,” Donna explained, wondering why Jocasta hadn’t seemed to have called ahead; but she opened the car door and made to climb out anyway. “I...”

That was when she spotted him: John Smith. He was standing like a squirrel in its dad’s coat, gawping at her in shock in the doorway to an open barn before rushing over to greet her equally stunned form.

“Donna?! What you doing here?” he immediately asked in shocked glee.

This could be tricky, and he had her cornered on her car seat. “Not a lot, to be honest. I’m delivering some papers and then heading back.”

“But I...,” he spluttered for some seconds, wanting to keep her there in order to explain himself, and then realised she was still seated in her car. “What’s the problem? Can’t you get out? Have you hurt your back or something?” His concern was all too evident.

Aiming to sound offhand, she answered, “Nothing like that; I’ve got a slight logistical problem.” When he looked none the wiser, she added, “My wellies are in the boot and I need them to get across the mud.”

Mud? They weren’t exactly knee deep in the stuff; there was only a smattering across the yard. “Oh!” he exclaimed in understanding, looking down at her expensive shoes that matched her outfit beautifully. “I can help.”

“Oh good,” she sighed in relief when he traipsed towards the back of the car, and then watched him open the boot before retrieving something. He reappeared clutching a battered pair of green wellies. “They’re the ones.”

“Let me help,” he offered, holding out a hand; so she took it, more than half expecting him to help her put the wellies on. She did not anticipate what happened instead! He bent, to place the boots down by her now bare feet, she thought. “Come, my lady,” he said as she found herself being lifted up and held within his arms. 

A squeal of protest immediately left her lips but it took some seconds before anything proper emerged. They’d gone a few steps towards the farmhouse by the time she found her voice and cried out, “What the bloody hell are you doing?”

“I’m escorting you into my home,” he proudly stated, and carried her whilst he trudged through the rest of the mud and dirt. “I assume you wanted to go there.”

Behind him, Verity rolled her eyes at his romantic hijinks and collected the papers, Donna’s handbag and her precious shoes from the front of the car. Nobody ever made sure she got across the mud okay, but she’d forgive him, just this once. Especially as he was looking so happy that this younger ginger woman had turned up seemingly out of the blue. Yes, she’d keep schtum about that one.

“Tea?” she offered as soon as she entered the kitchen, pushing passed the close-standing couple exchanging pleasantries to put the items down on a kitchen chair.

“Erm... Yes please,” Donna answered with some embarrassment. Her bare toes wriggled coyly when John had put her down onto the kitchen rug. Despite him dropping her borrowed wellies by the door he hadn’t let go of her waist yet, and she really didn’t know what to make of this situation. Did he fancy her or not?! 

Verity considered them as she filled the kettle with fresh cold water. John may be playing the gallant gentleman with this ginger woman but she knew he was clearly smitten. He wasn’t exactly demonstrative with his affections, so this new development would be interesting to watch; and according to Jocasta, this Donna was probably just as taken with him. It had the potential to go far. 

“Why don’t you show Donna the farm office, John? Perhaps she will be able to give you a few tips on how to organise it,” Verity suggested. “I’ll do us a proper spread when you get back.”

 

Using this opportunity to keep a tight hold of Donna’s hand, John led her through part of the barn; into a cordoned off section with three wooden walls, filing cabinets, a noticeboard, and a desk full of clutter in what felt like a glorified shed. 

“Oh my goodness! I see what your mum meant when she hinted you needed organising,” Donna exclaimed as soon as they walked into the office. “This place is a mess.”

John indignantly sniffed. “Chaos can mean an organised mind, you know.”

“I’ve heard that said about desks, but you aren’t trying to be creative here, are you? You’re supposed to be running a business.”

“Yes… well…” He stood forlorn before her. “I do my best.”

“Oh John!” she cried out, and stepped forward to touch his arms in comfort. “I didn’t mean to nag or criticise; it’s just that I’ve been all sorts of offices. From the successful and efficient, to the downright disasters, and I know exactly what type I’m looking at here. You’re having financial problems keeping this going. Am I right?”

He reluctantly nodded. “We may have to sell up at this rate,” he admitted quietly. “I’ve tried subsidising it with lecturing at the local night school but…”

“It’s alright,” she immediately consoled him as his expression fell. “You don’t have to say anymore. I can try to help you but I’m employed by Jocasta; she takes up an awful lot of my time.”

“I understand, but it’s nice of you to offer,” he softly answered; his bottom lip quivering with repressed emotion. “Dad’s an old man, Donna; he can’t keep doing this for much longer. I have to face facts, and he’s already said he’s found a possible buyer for the place.”

She gasped in sympathy. “Would you have to leave here?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping not, but if it came to it, I’d want to move them to a cottage near here and not force them into a town. They’ve never experienced it; it’d kill them,” he glumly stated. “It was exciting for me when I went to university in the big city, all that history and culture to see in London…”

“You came to London?!” she interrupted, feeling unaccountably hurt that she didn’t know at the time. “When did you do that?”

“A good fifteen years or so ago. Back when you were a teenager,” he explained.

“Geroff! I was nothing of the sort! I was working for my first temping agency,” she chided. “This is my third agency.”

That brought to mind what Jack had said, and his personal vow to get to the bottom of it. “This agency, they send girls out, right?”

Yes,” she cautiously answered. “Girls, boys, women and men; all sorts, who’d fit the job.”

“Wh-what sorts of jobs are we talking about? Only… it’s been suggested to me that you…” His courage suddenly disappeared.

“That I what…?” she encouraged him to continue, except her face sort of suggested she didn’t want to know the possible answer.

“Ahh uhm,” he began, blowing out his cheeks as he tried to figure out how to properly broach the subject. “And please don’t take this the wrong way, but I really need to know before we go any further. Are you an escort or a lady of the night…? Call it what you will?”

There was an immediate, and resounding, SLAP!

“How DARE you!!” She stood red-faced, glaring at him as he nursed his freshly struck cheek.

He couldn’t have looked more stunned if he had tried. “What did you do that for?! I was only asking.”

“Why d’you think, dumbo! It’s not every day you offer to help a friend out and get accused of being a prostituting harlot for your efforts!” Donna didn’t know whether to smack him one again or just cut her losses and leave. “Get out of my way!”

“So you’re not…?” John weakly tried to confirm.

“No I bloody ain’t!”

She tried to push passed him and storm out of the office, but he grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him closely. “Donna, I am so sorry, but I only wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth that you are nothing of the sort. Please don’t leave me,” he begged, using the full kicked-puppy look. “I’d do anything to make this up to you; anything. All I wanted to do when I brought you in here was…”

Intrigued, she sarcastically wondered, “What were you going to do? Get me to type up a letter, were you? A quick bit of filing, or would that be too normal for someone who cavorts about in her underwear all day?”

Why did she have to give him such wonderful mental images to play with? Ones where Donna was being nearly naked. A nervous gulp preceded his next words. “As lovely as that all sounds, I… Oh bugger this!” And he lunged forward to kiss her hard on the mouth. 

Her first instinct was to fight the smug bastard off; but he was far too gentle to keep that thought in her head, and those lips of his were softly insistent to put his point across before indignant anger reclaimed her mood. 

“NO!” she yelled, and pushed him successfully away. A quick swipe of her sleeve soon got rid of his kiss from her mouth. “Do you really think forcing me to do that works? And to think I thought you were a decent bloke,” she sneered at him. “Why am I even surprised? Of course a whore like me can be won over by you throwing yourself at me, because that’s what us tarts do, isn’t it; we just take your money and run after servicing you.”

A swift knee to his groin had him crumpling like a broken deck chair to the floor in agony, and she loomed over him to dwell on her action with pride. 

“Oh dear, my foot seems to have slipped.” Turning on her heel, she stormed out and knocked on the farmhouse door.

Within seconds Verity opened it. “Is something the matter?” she instantly asked, worried that Donna was standing there alone.

“I’ve just come to ask for my shoes back, please, and to say sorry that I won’t be staying for tea after all,” Donna bit out. 

Verity dutifully handed over the shoes. “Are you sure?”

“Very. It was nice meeting you,” Donna retorted and then strode purposefully back to her car. 

With a short wave to Verity, she reversed and then swiftly drove away, still wearing her wellie boots. However a minute later, in a nearby lane, she stopped the car and cried her heart out as she considered changing back into her shoes, not caring a jot about any mud that might have messed up her carpet.


	6. Chapter 6

After a good two minutes of crying, Donna suddenly realised that she was approaching this from completely the wrong angle. Since when did she play the victim, for anybody?! No, bugger doing that. She had questions and she was going to get answers, even if she died in the attempt.

Shifting her Peugeot into gear, she executed a three-point turn in the narrow lane and headed determinedly back into the farm yard.

Everything looked as she had left it, so she squidged her way back across the mud to the farm building that held John’s office, and marched right in. Half expecting it to be deserted, she was surprised to find him still cringing on the small brown leather sofa that sat in there; its previous occupation by a mound of papers shoved aside onto the floor to allow him to half recline on its comfort.

If he had been able to jerk up out of his seat he would have done. John had spent the intervening time berating himself and fending off his own bout of crying. Could he have been more stupid by frightening off Donna in that way? Seeing her reappear was rather wonderful and heartening. Did this mean he hadn’t totally ballsed things up between them? If you pardoned the phrase. That part of his anatomy still hurt, stopping any sudden possible movements from him. Her storming in caused his heart to race wildly in his chest and he waited to find out what she would do next. As it is, he managed to look both pleased and terrified. “You’re back! Donna, I feel sick,” he declared, hoping it’d elicit some sympathy rather than a further attack.

“You would do,” she agreed without much empathy, although she could feel the beginnings of the emotion starting to wash over her. ‘Stay strong,’ she told herself, ‘hold onto the anger.’ “I need to know,” she continued, “why you think I’m some sort of tart. Is that why you didn’t contact me?”

With a nod of his head he sheepishly replied, “In a way; but I got swamped under by some news Dad had. What with that and Jack saying he had arranged for you to come onto me, well...” He really didn’t want to explain any more than that at the moment, especially if she was merely going to hit him again.

What news; and Jack? “Who the hell is Jack, and what has he got to do with me?!” she demanded. 

The wince from him didn’t go unnoticed as he remained in a defensive position.

“He used to be my friend,” John explained bitterly. “But he told me it would be fun to arrange an escort for me, and sort of... Actually he did more than that. The arse said it was you.”

“Why the....!!!” Words failed Donna as she tried to get her head around this new development. “You tell him when I meet him he is dead! I’ll kill him with my bare hands and then rip him into shreds to feed his pathetic body to the lions at London Zoo!” she fumed, scrunching her hands into fists.

The trouble was she didn’t manage to hold onto her anger because she noticed he was still clutching himself protectively, obviously in pain still, judging by his soulful eyes. Such beautiful eyes that pierced her heart. All of her fire started to melt away as though it had never been.

“I’m sorry I ever believed him for a second,” John began to apologise, in order to build bridges between them. “Not just because of the whole slapping and kneeing business, which I think you were right to do and be angry about despite me personally being the target, obviously, but before he opened his big mouth we, that’s you and me, were getting on so well.”

“We were,” she confirmed as her anger completely ebbed away. “Why didn’t you just phone me and ask?”

His eyes turned sadder as he looked up at her. “I wanted to ask you face to face, so that I’d know it was the truth when you said you weren’t one of those women. I’m just some stupid sod who spends his days talking to sheep, so what do I know about talking to someone as beautiful as you? And Donna, I…,” his voice petered out.

Oh sod it! Who was she kidding? She couldn’t stay annoyed with him when he looked so pathetic and regretful. In one swift movement, she crouched down in front of him, and ignored the sudden look of terror that flashed on his face when she placed her hands on his knees. “What do I do to make it up to you?”

“You could kiss it better,” he blurted out and then blushed. “I er… meant in general, and not my…” Now thoroughly embarrassed, he then stopped clutching himself to halt any further misunderstanding.

The daft bugger! How she stopped herself from laughing out loud at him she would never know. “A kiss?” she queried, and leaned in closer; pleased when he involuntarily sought to meet her halfway. 

“It could work,” he murmured as their lips hovered within millimetres of each other. “Please,” he softly begged. Then he crossed that last gap to try again with a kiss that would capture her interest. “To say sorry.”

“Sorry,” she whispered, and landed on those tempting lips of his; especially that bottom one. 

“So sorry,” he echoed as he opened up to her. “Please forgive me.”

They kissed tenderly for several seconds, breaking apart to draw breath and note with delight that they were wrapped around each other’s body. Smiling his encouragement, John pulled backwards causing Donna to stay closer, so that she had to follow him onto the settee and almost land in his lap. Adjusting her legs over his own, he returned to enjoying her lips, smoothing his fingers over her cheek and then through her hair as his mind contemplated other places to explore later on. Time would tell if he would ever get the chance to do so again. 

“I am so sorry I made you cry,” he whispered into her ear as he kissed along her jawline.

“What made you think I cried?” she defensively asked. There was no way in hell that she’d admit that one.

He wisely let that one go. Did it really matter that he could see where her mascara had run when she’d obviously wiped her eyes? Instead, he felt guilty for upsetting her so; she hadn’t deserved that at all. What she did deserve was a hug, so he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to his chest, holding her there for several minutes. 

“Watch it. At this rate I’ll think you like me,” Donna muttered self-consciously. It didn’t stop her melting into his embrace; enjoying it thoroughly.

He sniffed a laugh. “Perhaps I do. Enough to want to take you out tomorrow night, if you’d let me.”

“I’d like that,” she shyly agreed.

Delighted by her response, he pressed his mouth onto her lips again, feeling a warmth spread through his body as they shared open-mouthed kisses that were slowly building in passion. His earlier pain now forgotten, all his body wanted to do was scream at him to make love to her at the first opportunity.

“God, you’re sexy,” he breathily uttered. 

“I’m surprised you can think such a thing, considering what I did to you. Does it still hurt?” she enquired. Inevitably her hand smoothed down from his shoulders, over his chest and stomach, to end up on the front of his trousers. “Oh! Well at least it’s in full working order,” she remarked with embarrassment. 

An amorous groan escaped his lips; and he clamped a hand over hers to keep it where it was. “Very. Now do you believe me?” He huffed out a few breaths, and then tightly told her, “I think we’d better go and have this tea with Mum before I try to ravish you.”

“Perhaps we should.” Donna then giggled nervously.

 

Verity had come out of the farmhouse, wondering where John had got to and needing to know he was alright, when she spotted the little blue Peugeot sitting back in their farm yard. What on earth had happened? Expecting fireworks of some sort, she sneaked up to the grimy window of the farm office and peeked in.

Oh my! She brought up a hand to cover her mouth in shock.

Inside were two blurs moving over each other on the small settee, obviously kissing each other fervently. Fortunately the view wasn’t clearer than that; so Verity quickly walked away to phone Jocasta with the good news.

 

“Hello, pet,” Verity greeted the sight of John when he stepped in through the kitchen door. “No Donna with you?”

He hastily smoothed down his hair, only for it to leap back up again. “Oh erm… no. She said sorry, by the way; she had to get back.”

Verity hid a smile at his distracted demise. If Donna was as dishevelled as he looked no wonder she didn’t want to go back into the farmhouse. “Never mind. Perhaps another day. I’ll make us some tea and then you can get that engine fixed up.”

“I’d clean forgotten about that,” he admitted. “I won’t be able to go anywhere if I don’t.”

Verity tsked at his forgetfulness, and wondered if she ought to tell Jocasta about this snippet too.

 

It had been arranged to meet up the following night, with the possibility of seeing this infamous Jack, and Donna could hardly wait to tear a piece out of him; slimey git! Thinking of him only made her want to throttle someone, and she had other things to worry about. Like what to what to tell Jocasta about her trip. There had been an overly keen interest to know when Donna had returned back to Lilac Cottage. Goodness knew why. Except there was more than a possibility Jocasta’s interest had to do with a certain book she was planning to write. There had been much fencing off questions about details.

Anyway, Donna thought she had finally satisfied Jocasta’s curiosity by the time John had phoned her after taking his evening class. They’d had a lovely long chat, talking about this and that; nothing world shattering or insightful. Just your normal babble between two people who thought they might be overheard. 

As it happened they were correct, because Jocasta was trying to surreptitiously earwig their conversation. Such situations require shortcuts and special codes to retain privacy and cause confusion. 

A few hours into her working day Donna was typing away from her notes, trying to not laugh at the stupidity of Meredith Forsythe when encountering Barnaby Pemberton. “Good grief, girl! Have some dignity,” she mumbled as she finished a paragraph. That was when her mobile phone rang, so she absently answered it without thinking to check who was calling her. 

“Hello, Donna,” a very smooth and educated male voice greeted her.

It couldn’t be him, it just couldn’t! She almost dropped the phone in shock. “What… what do you want?” she asked after some seconds.

“Why, I wanted you, Donna,” he easily answered. “I was surprised you disappeared into the ether in the way you did.”

“Oh did you?!” she wanted to rant. “How unlike you to be surprised by my behaviour. Look, I’m very busy and you are disturbing me from carrying out my duties. Why don’t you go and bother someone else. Ooh, I don’t know, maybe someone who actually works for you would be a start.”

“That is part of my reason for contacting you,” he continued their conversation without a hint of apology.

“What do you mean?” she inevitably asked.

“I need you, Donna.”

Her heart threatened to thump its way out of her chest. “You need me?” You could have struck her down with a feather.

There was an indrawn breath. “It pains me to say this, but yes.”

How long had she waited for him to say these words? Far too long, and the prick could still get to her. “You’d better run the idea passed your secretary for approval then, as I know she has the final say with these things. Goodbye.”

She was feeling quite pleased with herself by the time she ended the call; especially because he was frantically calling out her name. Yeah, make him wait.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** it really helps if you have seen some of DT's recent projects when you read this, but not vital.

A floorboard creepily creaking outside the doorway and then the sound of Jocasta’s voice made Donna almost jump out of her skin in fright. It was the sort of thing he used to do. “Is everything alright, Donna? I thought I heard raised voices.” She then noted Donna was clutching herself in fear and moved nearer, into the office, to offer some moral support. 

“Sorry, Jocasta. It was only me on the phone to…” Then to her absolute horror, she burst into tears.

“Donna, dear, what is it?” Jocasta burst forward to place a consoling hand on Donna’s shoulder and then passed her a tissue from a box that sat on a shelf. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not really,” Donna admitted as she sniffed back her tears, hating the fact this had happened. “I’m just shocked that he has bothered to contact me after all this time.”

“John?” Jocasta guessed. “But I thought you had already spoken to him.”

“No, it was my ex-boss who called. Oh god, I am so _stupid_!” Donna berated herself and then dabbed at her eyes. “Why do I let him get to me, every time? Let’s not talk about him. He is a first class arse.”

“What did he do to you?” Jocasta asked kindly.

“Nothing much.” Donna sarcastically dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “Only brought in some young blonde who couldn’t find the first letter of her name on a keyboard, made me spend every waking moment training her up, chucked me out of his office, took her into his bed, and then gave her my job.” There was a fervent blowing of the nose. “Not much at all really, the swine! And he has the cheek to phone me up out of the blue and claim he needs me. I ask you; what sort of bloke does that?!”

Jocasta pursed her lips in disapproval. “The worse sort.”

Donna shook her head in disbelief. “He’s an out and out bastard! To think I was in love him. Me?! I needed my bloody head examining.” 

“Perhaps you could distract yourself by contacting John…” Jocasta stopped speaking when Donna set a withering look on her. 

“That’d do me no good because he has business meetings with the bank and that today.” She sighed and searched around for her handbag. Grabbing it up, she declared, “I’m going out for a walk, to clear my head. Is there anything you want from the village shop?” 

“Perhaps a nice cake or bun to have with our lunch,” Jocasta suggested for something to say.

“Yeah, something huge, gooey and chocolate,” Donna remarked, somewhat weepily. “I can eat what I bloody like now.” When Jocasta frowned at her in confusion, she added, “ _He_ would disapprove of me even touching a piece of chocolate, and look down that haughty nose of his at me. Well, he can swivel on it for all I care!”

The only thing Jocasta could do was gape as Donna huffed away, determined to buy something heavily laden with calories.

 

The village shop wasn’t too far away from Lilac Cottage, but it was the first time since she had been there that Donna had properly ventured into the shop. Of course she had gone in there on her first day, just to get her bearings in the village and have a nose around, like you do. She decided to divert her thoughts onto what she could possibly say to Jack when she hopefully got to see him that evening. John had said he’d arranged to meet him, and she could hardly wait. What part of Jack should she attack first? Her imagination had fun running riot with that one. 

It was quite a pleasant, sunny day as she headed across towards the village green; and she idly wondered what it would look like full of some local men playing a game of cricket in their cricketing whites. She wasn’t fond of cricket, but she rather liked the traditional sportswear they wore for the game. Give her a decent game of football any day of the week if she was going to be forced to sit through something. For a start, it ended a lot quicker, and the blokes were more buff; not that she was shallow enough to only care about the visuals. She’d had many a happy trip with Gramps to a game at Upton Park where West Ham United play at home. 

As she neared the small building that housed the village shop a large Range Rover was parked outside on the opposite side of the road, and Donna had to peep around it to check there was nothing coming. Feeling fairly confident the coast was clear after two cars and a van, she stepped out, only to be tooted by a large black Mercedes that narrowly missed hitting her. 

“Look where you’re going, you stupid prat! Other people use the road,” she shouted out. 

The car instantly screeched to a halt, and a rear window wheezed its way down as it fully opened. Expecting be have abuse hurled at her, Donna readied herself to go on the defensive. Instead an extremely familiar head peered out at her.

“Ah, there you are,” he stated, rather calmly given the circumstances.

Donna just stood there stunned for some seconds. It was him! He must have phoned her whilst travelling in this car. “Roderick?! What on earth are you doing here?” she blurted out her questions. 

“I’m here on business,” Roderick succinctly told her, and eyed her up and down. “Why are you here?”

“I was just going to the shop,” she stated, pointing towards the shop in front of her. 

“Oh yes, I’d forgotten it was there,” he remarked to himself. He then tapped the driver of the Mercedes on the shoulder. “Pull over there for a moment please, William.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver replied, and the car moved slowly and smoothly into a better stopping position. “Is there anything else?”

“Wait for me,” Roderick ordered, and began to climb out to meet Donna.

Roderick Peterson was a tall, lithe, unconventionally handsome man who did everything smoothly and efficiently. Usually he wore all black, and today was no different. Underneath his tailored jacket he wore a polo neck jumper that was supposed to give him an air of casualness but merely highlighted his austerity. To add to the effect, he wore black horn-rimmed glasses and had his dark brown hair Brylcreamed back out of harm’s way. ‘Slick’ was a word many used to describe him but he would have much preferred to be called ‘superior’; that suited him far better in his mind.

Before him stood Donna Noble, his ex-employee, once trusted friend and confidante. Not that it had been an easy decision to get rid of her from his employ; she had been an extremely good worker, he had to admit. Many the time he had called upon her to work extra hours in order to help him out with some project or other as he planned his latest tour. Music was his life, and he took it very seriously; insisting on many hours of continuous practise from his choristers. 

Next on the cards was an entirely different project for him to consider, and the skills Donna had shown in the past would be extremely useful to him, if he could only lure her into assisting him again. One thing you could say in Donna’s favour, she always was well presented, in both looks and style. His father had once remarked that she was a valued asset to the company, and he had soon discovered during her absence that this was true, despite him not wanting to admit the veracity of this. A lesser man would have been ashamed of using her obvious crush on him to his advantage, but Roderick was only focused on his career; nothing else mattered in comparison. He had to be successful and top dog, there was no other option, and it didn’t matter who he stepped on to get there. That was what he had been taught, and that was how he lived his life. Every last second of it. It had brought him a great deal of success in his chosen field; a success he was determined to hang on to. 

Things could have gone further with Donna, there was an undeniable quality about her that attracted him immensely, but it would have distracted him away from his life goals. There was no way she could be a mere affair; instead she was the type of woman you invested in body and soul whereas the delightfully flirty Daisy was a dalliance that filled the odd spare moment. It was convenient, and that was what concerned him, since it required no investment from him personally. 

Watching Roderick almost glide across the road towards her, Donna was struck by the usual pangs of regret that she normally felt when she saw him; but this time it was different. Her feelings for him had lessened quite a lot, to her surprise and delight. There was still an animalistic sexuality to his fluid movements that she could appreciate, but their power over her had decreased dramatically.

“Hello Rod,” she deliberately greeted him as he got near enough to speak easily to in private. “How are you?”

“It’s Roderick,” he reminded her as anger flashed momentarily in his eyes. He may do menacing but he never indulged in angry tantrums. “I trust you are well?”

“Yes, very,” she politely replied, and then waited to see where he would steer the conversation he so obviously wanted.

He merely peered imperially at her. “I have need of your skills, Donna, and would like to offer you some employment.”

‘How charming,’ she thought sarcastically. “Sorry, but I am already working for someone.”

A heavy frown instantly appeared on his face as he glared unblinkingly at her. “Who? I’m sure we could come to some arrangement,” he silkily suggested.

“Look, Rodders, I cannot work for you. I have signed a contract and everything, so you’ll just have to look for someone else. Someone like… ooh, I dunno… Daisy, perhaps?” she impishly wondered.

There was a slight flaring of his nostrils to indicate he was not pleased so far. “Daisy has limited talents, as you know full well; and she has remained in London,” he almost flatly stated.

‘Bully for her,’ Donna whined in her head. “Yes, extremely limited in some departments. Shame she couldn’t join your little jamboree, Rodders.”

“It is Roderick,” he pithily restated. 

Ooh, she liked riling him in this way. It was fun! “That’s what I said. You get far too uptight about your name. I know; you should go and relax somewhere! How does that sound? Take that stick out of your...”

“Donna!” he warned. “I’ll take my leave. Perhaps you will change your mind later. You know how to contact me.” Roderick turned then and walked swiftly back to his car.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” she mumbled to herself, and crossed over the pavement to enter the shop, uncaring whether his car had left or not. 

 

John returned from checking up on their flock of sheep and entered the farmhouse, absolutely dreading this business meeting. It could prove to be the end of their time on the farm for ever, and he knew how that would shatter his father’s dreams. As for himself, he was sure he would be able to find something to occupy his time over the coming years; the college had already hinted that they would like him to work more hours, and that was the silver lining to all this mess. Whether he actually wanted to become a fulltime lecturer was another matter. But when needs must you do your duty; that had long been his dad’s mantra.

“Hurry up, John,” Verity fussed around him, “we need to get going. Have you got your clean shirt?”

“Yes, Mum,” he answered, and pointed to where it lay. “I won’t be too long cleaning up, I promise.”

“Don’t be,” his father chimed in as he adjusted his tie. “They won’t wait for us.”

“It would be hard for them to do anything without us,” John muttered under his breath, but fortunately his dad didn’t hear him. Good. Things would only have got worse if he had. 

“Welcome, Mr Smith,” the solicitor greeted them by shaking John’s hand. “Are these your parents?”

“Yes, this is Dad, Sydney Smith; and Mum, Verity Smith,” John made the introductions. “I’m John, but you might already know that, Mr Warner. Has our Ricky turned up yet?”

“He contacted our office to say he has been slightly delayed but should be with us presently. While you wait would you like a tea or coffee?” Mr Warner offered them all, and called out to the nearest office worker to supply three fresh teas.

They generally chitchatted for the next ten minutes as they sipped their tea and waited anxiously for John’s cousin Ricky to arrive. It was fairly obvious when he did, because there was a general clamour from outside the office, a hubbub of excited voices, and then he strode in looking quite refreshed. Immediately he greeted Verity with a kiss on the cheek, and shook the hand of first Sydney and then John before shaking Mr Warner’s. “Hello, I’m Roderick Peterson; you must be Simon Warner,” he greeted the solicitor.


	8. Chapter 8

Simon Warner seemed quite flustered by being greeted by _the_ Roderick Peterson from off the telly. He had never met such a well-known celebrity before, even if he was a minor one. “Yes, I am he,” he confirmed. “Would you like some tea?”

“No thank you,” Roderick dismissed the request. “Let’s get down to business.”

“Oh! Of course,” Simon replied in surprise. Roderick was proving to be all that he had expected. The man seemed like a hard task master. “We have a great deal to get through today.”

Roderick did his best to smile whimsically at him. In reality he wanted to shake the stupid little man into doing something sensible, but he knew staying calm was much more important. “Good,” he merely answered. “I don’t want to inconvenience my aunt, uncle and cousin too much.”

Verity merely glared at her nephew. He had always been a jumped up little pipsqueak, even as a small child and he had continued to be one throughout his adult life. And now, to think that he would be buying their farm and probably turfing them out was beyond endurance. “You surprise me, pet,” she snidely commented. 

Roderick turned his gaze onto her, steeling himself to say the words. “Aunt Verity, I want to invest in your hill farm. It needs some decent management, and I know that Uncle Sydney and John have tried hard all these years to keep it going, but grandfather would not have liked the way it has fallen into decay.”

“Now look here…!” Sydney loudly protested, but Simon held up a quietening hand in a patronising manner that irked Sydney. “Just because you’ve had a fancy education down in London don’t mean you know what you are doing,” he continued.

This did not have the desired effect. “John had a similar education to me, Uncle Sydney,” Roderick pointed out, “and he has not managed to turn things successfully around. Perhaps it is time for me to try?”

“You think a music degree will be enough to qualify you?” John bitterly spat out.

“No,” Roderick suavely replied, “but as you know, further education prepares you for so much more, and I have run other profitable businesses.”

“Then good luck with it, because I don’t know anyone who has run a hill farm without having to subsidise it elsewhere,” John retorted, and glumly sat back in his chair. 

“Fortunately I have the means, the time and the funds to keep Hollow Farm alive and run it according to our grandfather’s plans,” Roderick haughtily stated. “Now if we could talk business rather than fuss over emotive subjects we might be able to get somewhere.” He signalled to Simon bring out the necessary paperwork to start the process of him gaining the farm. 

Verity felt her hackles rise as the moment of doom arrived. “It’s all well and good you taking over, Ricky; but what about us? Is there any room for us in this plan of yours?” she queried. “Or is family just an ‘emotive subject’ to you?”

“I don’t plan to live there, Aunt Verity, so I see no reason why you can’t stay in some capacity.” Roderick thoughtfully considered his aunt. 

“If your mother could see you now," Verity remarked. “She and Dad would be shocked by your attitude.”

“Mum, don’t,” John tried to halt her hurt words.

“This is business, Aunt Verity,” Roderick calmly stated as he pushed the paperwork towards her to sign. “At least I am keeping it within the family.”

“Yes, but at what cost,” she retorted through gritted teeth. “What will happen when John marries? He’ll have nothing to offer.”

John groaned loudly in exasperation as Roderick considered him. 

“Fortunately we may never have to worry about such a thing. John is as confirmed a bachelor as I am.”

“That's where you’re wrong,” Verity triumphantly crowed as John tried to quieten her again. “John has got himself a lady friend now.”

“Do you, John?” Roderick imperiously asked.

Unexpectedly finding himself on the spot, John coyly spluttered, “Well…” As usual, words failed him when a voice was needed. Why was he allowing himself to be intimidated by this situation? This was only their Ricky after all.

“This is news to me,” Sydney suddenly added in, clearly puzzled as though he had just woken up. “When did this happen?”

“When you were asleep in the chair, as usual,” Verity grumbled.

Both John and Roderick smirked in clear amusement and shared a knowing glance.

Once again Verity was struck how similar the pair of them were at times, but in temperament they were two sides of the same coin. Perhaps being in more contact with John would do Roderick good? Lord knew he needed someone to lighten him up since his father had taken sole control of him after her sister’s death. The boys had never spent enough time together despite having overlapping interests. 

All the papers dutifully signed, they looked at each other expectantly. 

“You should come home with us for dinner,” Verity announced in Roderick’s direction.

He looked genuinely surprised with being given the invite. In truth he was, since he had expected to be practically disowned by these last members of his extended family. It made sense to do this civilly. “I would love to, but if you mean this evening I’m afraid I have business appointments that cannot be cancelled. Would tomorrow do? I don’t have to travel back to London until tomorrow night.”

“Of course I meant tonight, but tomorrow will be fine,” Verity confirmed. She noted her son squirming to the side of her. “John, what is the problem?!”

“I erm... I have a date,” he reluctantly supplied. All he could think was he’d better not have to cancel it due to Ricky hanging around to spread his special blend of know-it-all-ism.

His mother smugly commented, “Ricky coming to dinner won’t get in the way of that.”

“It’s Roderick,” he interjected. “I don’t use the name Ricky anymore.”

“Why? What’s wrong with it?!” Verity glared at him again. “It’s what your mother wanted it to be.”

“I... Fine, you can call me Ricky,” he relented in exasperation. The whole thing was obviously futile, so why fight it? “Will we get to see this lady friend of yours, John?”

As John shook his head, Sydney piped up with, “Invite her along too. I’d like to meet her myself.”

“Why would such a woman want to see you? We’ll be discussing business and family matters,” Verity said, partly to mock him.

John sighed. They really did need to talk through the details together which ruled out seeing Donna after all; unless he could slink out and secretly do so. 

Roderick found himself in the rare situation of pitying someone; namely his cousin. John and he had been such good friends as small children, almost like brothers in their own little world, until his mother had died, of course, and he’d been sent away to school to never return properly to these people who counted as family. But part of him still liked John immensely, and felt guilty at how tired and drawn John looked. It couldn’t have been easy for him soldiering on for all these years against the inevitable. What had happened to the boy who had dreamed of being an astronaut leading the first expedition to Mars? 

“We could all go to a restaurant, if you like. It would be my treat, I insist. And this mysterious lady friend of John’s could come too. It might work in your favour if she meets me,” Roderick offered, adding what he hoped was a warm smile.

“You’d pay?" John asked in surprise, and accidentally missed the implied boast that Donna would be impressed. “Then you’re on. You book it all and I’ll make sure she is there.” He knew this trumped any boast Ricky may have because there had always been an unspoken rivalry between them; and Ricky may have bags of money but he had never held the interest of a woman for long. There had been vague rumours from his uncle about a possible candidate, but as usual Ricky was lucky in business and unlucky in love. Well, there had to be some consolation from this train wreck of a deal!

To top it all, Roderick was already scrolling through possible restaurants on his phone and was about to call one up to book a table. This could be interesting in all sorts of ways. 

 

Donna had got up to have a break and put the kettle on for a late afternoon cup of tea when her mobile phone rang. This time she was sensible enough to double check first before she answered it, and smiled with glee when she saw who it was. “Hello John! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you yet.”

“Hello pet! We finished earlier than I anticipated. There’s been a slight change of plan for tonight; sorry to disappoint you,” John began to tell her his news.

“Why? What’s gone wrong,” she anxiously wondered.

“It’s er…,” he paused for breath. “Jack can’t make it so it’s just me to entertain you.”

“Never mind,” she commented, annoyed she wouldn’t be able to give him a piece of her mind yet. “You don’t sound so great. Did it go alright today?” 

“Depends how you look at it. The bank gave us the usual dismal figures,” he admitted, somewhat glumly. “The solicitor has dealt with all the basic paperwork so the sale process can begin.” He then anxiously rubbed his eye. “But we’re all going out for dinner tomorrow night, and that includes you.”

“Who exactly is ‘we’?” she wondered. “And what sort of place would we be eating in?” Her mind raced through all the possible outfits she had available hanging in her wardrobe.

“It’s me, you, Mum, Dad and my cousin Ricky. He seems really keen to meet you for some reason,” he lightly teased. “And he is paying, so you can eat whatever you like.”

That shocked her. “Why?”

“Because he is loaded and treating us for once. It is a rare sight, so I’m making the most of it,” John confided. “He has booked us into the Blue Peacock Restaurant. I’ve heard of it but never been there, since it costs an arm and a leg, and I’m not…” There was a pause as he considered admitting how strapped for cash he was. “Anyway, I’ll pick you up about a quarter past six, if that’s alright?”

She quickly looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Quarter past six?! That doesn’t give a lot of time!” she screeched.

“To do what?” he queried. “How long does it take to wash and change?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, us non-sheep take a bit longer to get ready,” she huffed. “Although I can image you poncing about in front of a mirror for half an hour.”

How did she know that was exactly what he had done? “ME?! I’m coming as I am,” he indignantly retorted, and unconsciously adjusted his tie. “I’m already in my best suit.”

“In a suit, eh?” Now that was a mental image she was very keen to see in real life. “Go on. Off with you. And I’ll see you after six.”

John giggled with delight before ending the call, and Donna almost hugged her phone to her chest. That is until she realised how this suddenly sounded. “Blimey! I’m meeting his family already,” she said to herself in awe. “This is beginning to sound serious.”

She shook herself out of that daunting thought and made the tea.

Having called to Jocasta that tea was on the go, her phone rang again just as she was about to sip some. Snatching up her phone, she purred, “Hello again, you!”

“Hello again, Donna,” said the cultured voice she didn’t want to hear.

“Wh-what do you want, Roderick?” she stammered out her question.

“I am phoning to ask if you would care to join me for dinner tomorrow night,” Roderick smoothly wondered.

“Oh! I…” Shock took away her answer but she was surprised to feel no regret; none whatsoever. “Sorry, but I’ve already made arrangements to go out tomorrow,” she answered far more politely then she would have intended. Bugger! She should have rubbed that in his face. 

“Perhaps another time?” he coolly suggested. 

“Yeah, perhaps,” she vaguely replied. ‘When hell freezes over,’ she mentally added.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** sorry for the delay in updating this.

When Donna opened Jocasta’s front door just after six o’clock she was confused to John standing there under the glow of Jocasta’s porch light in his previous dark coat, black jeans and dark grey jumper ensemble. “What happened to the suit?” she wondered.

“Mum made me take it off; said it’s for best and I have to keep it for tomorrow night,” he grumpily explained. “Anyone would think I’m a bloody child with the way she carries on.”

“Aren’t mums supposed to do that?” she teased, and then placed a consoling kiss on his cheek.

“Is that all I get?” he asked as he stepped inside the cottage and looked around the living room with great curiosity. It was just as he’d expected: ornate, expensive looking and like some photo-shoot out of a magazine like House Beautiful. Not that he tended to look at such things unless he was forced to; like when waiting at the dentist’s.

“Well… this _is_ our first official date,” she argued. 

He immediately managed to huff a laugh. “I suppose it is.” Funnily enough, he felt as nervous as though it was their very first date too. So many questions buzzed around in his head. Things like: what would be the best place to take her, would he bore her to tears, was there going to be any chance of continuing what they had started the day before? That last one in particular had played endlessly in his mind when he’d been alone in the intervening hours. Not that he was going to own up to that fact in a hurry.

Feeling the awkwardness that had suddenly fallen upon them, Donna thought to ask, “Did you want some tea before we do anything?”

John hurriedly nodded. “Yes, tea would be nice.” It seemed a logical thing to do in the circumstances. It also meant that he had to follow Donna into the kitchen, which he did willingly. Watching her bustle about filling the kettle, getting out mugs and hunting for the milk was an unexpected pleasure, and he settled himself by leaning against a kitchen worktop in order to do so.

She could feel his eyes observing every movement, and wondered why he never seemed to say very much but tended to fill in information in short rapid bursts. It would take a bit of getting used to but she was sure she could. “Do you take sugar?” she asked as the kettle began to boil.

“No thanks,” he replied, and edged nearer. “I was erm… the thing is, I’m not sure where you’d like to go tonight,” he stammered.

Aw, he looked so sweet and adorable as he gazed expectantly at her, and Donna felt herself melt. “I don’t mind. What do you fancy doing?”

Ooh, now that was a leading question! “I er…” Lowering his gaze meant that he was peering right at the buttons of her blouse and that enticing cleavage underneath. When she shifted a little bit he was sure he could catch a glimpse of the fine lace edging her bra, and that was a very exciting thought. 

What on earth was he playing at? Couldn’t he keep his eyes out of her cleavage for five seconds?! Bloody typical. “I’m up here, John.” 

The sound of her voice brought him out of his revelry, and he blushed at being caught fantasying about her body. It was an extremely lovely body, in his opinion, that needed some careful attention from him; attention that involved kissing every visible freckle for starters. 

“Sorry. It’s just that… that is a very nice blouse you are wearing,” he blustered, and allowed his gaze to sweep down her body. “Your whole outfit is… You look lovely.” He really hoped that he sounded sincere rather than sleazy to her ears.

“Thanks,” she tightly answered as she realised Jocasta was standing in the doorway. “Hello Jocasta. Would you like to join us for tea?”

Rats, she’d been noticed! And just when their flirting had become useful. “Yes please, dear,” Jocasta replied and entered the kitchen properly. “How are you, John?”

“Fine thanks,” he politely answered. “And yourself?”

“The usual aches and pains,” she responded and took the offered cup of tea from Donna’s hands. “Are you two going anywhere nice?”

“We were just trying to decide that,” admitted Donna as she took a healthy gulp of her own tea and gazed at John as he finished off drinking his own cup.

The phone went off in John’s pocket. There was a frantic search for it before he peered at the screen to answer the ringing mobile, clearly puzzled that it had. “Hello, Dad. What’s the problem? Okay, I’ll do that, don’t worry. Speak to you later. Bye.”

“Anything the matter?” Donna immediately asked.

John sighed. “It was Dad being worried he left the door open in the barn in the top field. The latch was acting up, he says. Do you…” There was some anxious scratching of his head. “Do you mind if we go up there and make sure everything is okay?”

“Of course I don’t,” she readily agreed.

“You’d better take my gumboots again,” Jocasta advised. “It might be muddy.”

“And we can’t have you walking across the mud,” John deliberately smirked in Donna’s direction. 

In reply, she playfully pushed at his chest. “Give over, you! You’ll have your own problems in that getup.” 

“I’ve come prepared.” A smug grin appeared on his face.

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she retorted. “Come on then, farmer John. Let’s go and check on this barn of yours. I’ll see you later, Jocasta.”

“Have fun,” Jocasta called out to them as they both walked away; her mind was already half on the notes she wanted to quickly write down for her next book. The pair of them had provided plenty of information to dally with. Deliciously so. 

 

The lane they drove down was pitch black, and the main beam of the Land Rover they sat in illuminated lots of grass on the edge of the road and not a great deal more. Every now and then a tree loomed out of the gloom or some small creature with luminous eyes like something out of a horror film. 

The whole experience was more than a little frightening for Donna, so she kept up a constant tale to fill the silence and pretend that everything was perfectly normal. Why couldn’t they have street lights and buildings and people, like normal places? 

“…So I said to Alice, ‘Why did he do that?’ and she just shrugged. I think he might be gay, if I’m honest,” Donna waffled on, and turned her attention to John’s profile in the subtle light given off by the dashboard and reflected back by the landscape. She was pleased to note that he was dividing his attention between driving and looking at her with a distinct smile on his face. At least he had cheered up considerably since their phone call. “You don’t say much, do you?” she couldn’t help commenting.

The expression on his face went thoughtful. “I suppose I don’t. Sorry. Sheep don’t tend to answer back, no matter what you try to discuss, so I don’t get much conversation as a rule.”

“But you must talk when you are lecturing at the college,” she reasoned. “You wouldn’t be able to do that without opening your mouth.”

“That’s different,” he countered. “My students want to hear what I have to say; I’m passing on knowledge.”

“I don’t see the difference,” she admitted. “Talking is talking, surely.”

A chuckle escaped his lips. “No, it isn’t, I assure you. When it comes to small talk, I just can’t do it.”

She leant across and kissed his cheek, pleasantly surprising him. “Honestly, you are doing fine. All you need is a bit of practice.”

“I get the feeling that I’ll get plenty of that with you.”

“Are you saying I do nothing but talk?” she questioned.

“No,” he hurriedly answered, and wondered why she then laughed.

“That makes a change because I’ve often been called a chatterbox. Always got into trouble in school for talking,” she confessed. “I was forever being told to keep quiet.”

“I had the opposite; got told off for not speaking up,” he declared. “You just can’t win.”

As they giggled together at their opposing problem, she felt the need to reach out and caress his shoulder, offering comfort and acceptance. “Don’t worry; I’ll do the talking for the pair of us.”

It completely coincided with him stopping the vehicle. “I like the sound of that,” he breathily replied. “We’re here. The barn is on the left.” He pointed towards a large black object in the generally dark and windy landscape.

She turned her head to peer out of the window, not quite seeing it. “Oh yeah,” she pretended to agree.

When she turned back he had eased himself across the small space to be within millimetres away. It didn’t take make effort to lean into the kiss he offered. Soft touches of cold lips that gradually warmed up. 

The strong wind outside suddenly buffeted the car; causing them to stop and stare out the window for a moment.

“I really don’t fancy going out in this to check that latch,” he murmured. “Oh, I know!” he suddenly cried as an idea hit him. This was followed by him frantically fumbling in the glove compartment before he triumphantly held up a pair of binoculars. “I knew these were in there. Right, let’s have a look.” Placing them in front of his eyes, he took care to adjust the focal length as he gazed out of the car windscreen. “Ah huh! That’s got it. Nice close up of the drain pipe into the water butt... And there is the latch, safely closed. Good! I don’t need to set foot out on the mud at all.”

“So you can keep those jeans of yours clean,” she commented.

“And the rest of me,” he agreed with a pleased smirk. “Although you might be more pleased that I won’t get frozen.”

“How would that affect me?” she wondered. “I’m not that altruistic.”

“Maybe, but I think you’d care if I put my freezing cold hands on you.”

“Getting a bit ahead of yourself, Sunshine,” she admonished him; and then noticed his guilty glance as he hastily shoved the binoculars back into the glove box. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing!” he instantly and inevitably replied.

“Prove it,” she dared him, and opened up the compartment. “Oh!” Inside was a small packet of condoms.

John looked adorably sweet as he hid his embarrassed face, she decided. Who was she to criticise him after their snogging session the day before and their obvious mutual attraction? It was quite logical in the circumstances. At least he was making some effort to be prepared; so she deliberately kissed first his cheek and then his lips.

After some seconds, he pulled away, and told her, “I have a nice surprise for you when I turn the lights off.”

“What’s that…?” she began to ask, but he turned the dial and they were plunged into absolute darkness. 

Hearing her gasp, he instantly took hold of her hand and whispered, “Look at that.”

“Oh wow!” The constellations in the clear sky had never been so vivid, and she eagerly scoured the view to take in as much as possible. “Gramps would love this.”

“I was hoping you’d like it.”

“Like it? I love it!” she proclaimed, and threw herself on him. “Thank you.”

He let her kiss him in gratitude, and considered his next move in the time it took to adjust to the darkness. 

As they sat staring at the stars, John rested his head next to Donna’s and remarked as casually as he could, “I’d have said that technically this is our fourth date.” 

“How did you make it four; and isn’t the fourth date when things get heated?” she openly questioned, and then blushed. “Not that I’m suggesting, or anything.”

A waggle of eyebrows made her swat his arm.

“Technically it’s four,” he argued, and brought up a hand to count them on his fingers, “because the first one was when I sat in your car with you. The second was our meeting in the pub. The third one was our… shall we say… little tête-à-tête in my office; and number four is today.”

“Ah, yes, the tête-à-tête,” she remarked as the vivid memories of their embrace came to mind; their very heated and veering into dangerous territory embrace. “I’d have argued it was three at the most.”

His hand rested on her hip, rubbing small circles with his thumb, egging her on; so she lunged at him, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. Then he kissed back more sensually, holding her close whilst running his hands over her body. As their open mouthed kisses deepened into tasting and sliding tongues together, his hands eased their way under the bottom hem of her blouse, to smooth across her soft skin and inevitably upwards to cup her bra. It wasn’t as though her hands were idle, because the bottom buttons of his shirt were undone and the shirt pulled out from being confined beneath the belt of his jeans. Her hands explored the hair on his surprising well-toned chest, his shoulders, his back, and downwards to below his belt and on to his firm bottom. 

The only sound within the car was wet lips smacking together, drawn in breaths, sighs, moans and groans as they clasped each other tighter. Should he take this further? Any question of ceasing completely disappeared from his head when he felt her fingers caress him intimately. Oh yes, oh yes! He really wanted this! 

Using his best seductive voice, he whispered into her ear, “The rear seats fully recline in this, did you know? Let me demonstrate... while we get comfortable.”

Normal speech wasn’t needed for quite a while after that.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** sorry; I couldn't resist a sex scene after all.

Could life ever get better than this feeling? 

Donna was unaware of the travelling blanket on her bare back, covering them both within a warm cocoon. Normally she would have been acutely conscious of its itchiness but instead she ran her hands over the chest of the naked man below her as she straddled his hips, loving the feel of his taut muscles beneath her fingertips, his warm skin with its fine covering of dark hairs; leading up to that long neck of his. Giving into her impulse, she leant forward and licked a path up his throat before using her tongue to kiss and then suckle on his flesh. Oh how she loved his neck; it had long been part of her fantasy. Except, she realised as she sat back up again to rest her hands on his shoulders, that particular fantasy had been all about Roderick, whereas this one was brand new and only belonged to John.

Laid bare and prone with his feet propped up on the front facing leather seats of his Land Rover, his head was tilted backwards in ecstasy, on the folded down rear seats. Her initial reaction to him may have been guided by her earlier crush on Roderick but this moment, this exquisite sexual moment, was all about John. Who could have asked for such a gentle, loving, intelligent man and then expect to receive him? Nerys had once joked that Donna would only find happiness with a man who hardly spoke and could fulfil her fantasies. Well hadn’t that one come true enough to bite Nerys in the arse? Oh yes! 

A raw emotion welled up within Donna as John’s hands returned to rest on her hips, urging her movements on him. “I…,” she tried to declare as love for him roared through her being.

He chose that moment to lift his upper torso in order to plant ravenous kisses upon her lips, holding her as close as possible. “My angel,” he gasped out. “Oh my beautiful angel!” The next second he gripped her tightly as his body shuddered its own completion for some seconds. His breathing was rapid as he almost wilted back down onto the seating, taking her with him and within his loving embrace. Loving kisses were placed on her face as his heart rate tried to calm down. “You’re fantastic,” he enthused, the joy evident in his voice. 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Donna modestly retorted as they continued to pet each other. 

“No, I mean it,” he insisted, trailing a loving finger across her cheek. “I know this is a bit soon, but love at first sight used to be a thing I scoffed at.”

“Love?” she queried, suddenly choked at his choice of words. How could she criticise such an emotion? Because she had questioned it within herself, mistaking it for something else entirely. “And there was me thinking it was just lust,” she joked.

John chuckled. “Well… there is that too. I won’t deny it; except…,” he replied, and tenderly kissed her lips. “I think we could be brilliant together.”

“I think we already are,” she answered in a small voice, barely able to believe she had uttered the words. This wasn’t her usual style at all. It must be all down to the man she was currently nestled up with on the back seats of a car. For some reason that made her feel really happy; for the first time since she could remember.

“Do you think you could be interested in a soon to be ex-farmer? I mean, I haven’t got much to offer you,” he sadly wondered.

She really hoped he could see her encouraging grin in the low light. “You fall in love with the person, not their job, you prawn. I only care about being with you. Everything else can sort itself out later.”

“Then you’ll have me?” His hopefulness and vulnerability were all too evident.

“Try stopping me,” she murmured as she covered his lips with her own. 

Judging by the way he returned her kisses, he believed her, and her spirit soared with happiness.

 

Apparently Ricky had booked a table for two o’clock, since he was travelling home that evening, so John had arranged to personally pick up Donna whereas his parents were been driven there by transport organised by his cousin. Little did she know that they were being driven by Roderick’s chauffeur, having assumed he had merely booked them a taxi, and thought no more of it. Her main worry was dressing to impress them all and have an outfit that made her feel confident. Smart casual, John had insisted; so she kept this in mind as she perused her wardrobe. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint, she hadn’t brought a great deal with her, clothing wise, so her choice was limited to the matching outfits hanging on the rail. Most of it was very business-like rather than glamorous, so that would have to do. It was possible to dress it up using jewellery and accessories, she reasoned. 

“What do you think?” she had wondered when she had presented Jocasta with her final three options. “This, this or this one?” Each option was pointed at as it lay on her bed, side by side.

“Hmm.” Jocasta carefully weighed up the pros and cons of each possible outfit. “I think you ought to go with the blue.”

“Blue it is then,” Donna stated decisively, and mentally mapped out the rest of her upcoming options.

 

John looked extremely proud of himself when he knocked on the front door to collect Donna.

“Nice suit,” she gasped out when she saw him. The tailored jacket broadened his shoulders and narrowed his waist in a very pleasing way, and the striped silken tie complemented the underlying crisp cotton shirt and jacket wonderfully. “I can see why your mum told you to save it for best.”

“Can you?” he wondered as he nervously fiddled with the tie knot.

“Yes, so leave it alone,” she fondly chided him, and adjusted his tie to sit properly. “We can’t have you looking like a scarecrow.” She then took the opportunity to lean in close in order to whisper, “Jocasta has been quizzing me to within an inch of my life about last night.”

“What did you tell her?!” he hissed in anxious tones.

“Nothing much,” she consoled him. “I had to admit we snogged, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he agreed with a knowing grin. “But nothing about...?” he enquired, trying to keep the smirk off his face as he thought about their passionate activities, and how long it had taken to de-mist the windows afterwards.

“Not a word,” she quickly assured him as Jocasta’s footsteps were heard on the creaking wooden stairs. 

“Oh hello, John! I didn’t realise you were here yet. Where is your car?” Jocasta asked him.

“I was erm... I was dropped off by the village green. Mum and Dad went on ahead,” John explained. “We’re travelling in Donna’s car.”

“I see,” Jocasta remarked in a tone that suggested that she didn’t approve at all.

“This way I can’t possibly show myself up by drinking too much,” Donna added on to deflect any bad feelings.

“Are you likely to do that, my dear?” Jocasta pondered with concern.

Donna merely shrugged to show her lack of knowledge. “I dunno, but there’s always a first time, so at least I’m avoiding it.”

Jocasta frowned in confusion. Young people do and say such odd things these days. “Anyway, be that as it may; I hope you both have a very pleasant meal together.”

They both chorused their thanks and headed out of the door.

 

Jocasta waved them off, and then went to produce her ideas notebook from its draw. The next item she grabbed was her favourite pen to write with. In her case it was a silver inscribed Parker pen that her mother had presented to her after the publication of her first romantic story in a magazine called Woman’s Weekly. It was her most prized possession in daily use.

Having obtained her writing implements, she sat herself down in a comfy armchair covered in chintzy fabric, and turned to the page with the title: Ill Met By Satnav. It would do as a working title for now, and it amused her greatly. Writing in her neat script, she added to the notes there by stating that the heroine was the sort that drove the hero about when necessary, was keen to keep a clear head at all times, and refused to be dictated to by the usual standards of dating etiquette. Yes, she felt that described Donna to a T. As for the hero, she put that he didn’t feel his masculinity was threatened by such a woman, instead he relished in such thinking and adored her independence. Her only problem was how ‘modern’ such a scenario was; but she could salvage it for a historical romance if she set it during the Second World War when women often took over traditional male jobs. It certainly got her creative juices flowing; and she happily set to, getting the best part of a chapter written by the time Donna arrived home again.

 

The drive to the Blue Peacock Restaurant was pleasant enough in the afternoon sunshine; but it turned sour as soon as they stepped in through the front doors after parking the car conveniently close by. 

“Excuse me, madam, but would you mind moving your car? It’s blocking the delivery entrance,” the maître d’hôtel asked her politely.

Donna was completely mortified. “Oh my gawd! I am so sorry! I’ll do that straight away.” 

“I’ll wait for you here,” John instantly offered in moral support. 

“No, you go in ahead,” she insisted. “I won’t be long.”

The waiter smiled consolingly. “I’ll escort you in, madam,” he promised.

It only took a couple of minutes to shift the car into a safer parking spot and then she was being led through the various levels of the hotel restaurant. It rambled almost as much as a Harvester restaurant does, she casually noted.

She could easily see Verity sitting at the table as they approached, winding around a corner to enter a more secluded part of the restaurant. Also at the table were three men. Her gaze landed on John in relief just as the man two chairs to his right stood up to greet her.

“Here you are,” the waiter announced as they reached the furthest point possible from the main doors. “The Peterson party.”

‘The who?!’ she instantly wondered; right before she took in who exactly was stood right in front of her: only Roderick bloody Peterson!

“You made it,” he declared in very pleased tones, and stuck out a hand to welcome her into the seat between him and John.

Everyone else thought he was being exceptionally polite but Donna had just caught up mentally with what the waiter had said and the sight of her ex-crush. “You what?” she lamely asked. “I was…”

John had stood too by this point and was dividing his attention between smiling at his parents and his guest. “Dad, Ricky, this is Donna,” he stated proudly.

“Hello, love,” Sydney cheerily greeted her. “Sit yourself down and make yourself comfortable.”

To her amazement, Donna managed to utter a greeting to the table in general. Both Donna and Roderick looked equally stunned; but for different reasons, obviously. 

“How do you know Donna?” Roderick demanded to know as his hand dropped away to his side.

“She’s with me,” John proclaimed as he took hold of her elbow and wrist to draw her closer.

“This is John’s lady friend we told you about, pet,” Verity added in a hiss that also managed to suggest that Roderick keep his voice down, thank you very much.

“But…” Roderick looked momentarily crestfallen, before sitting himself down carefully with a pout on his face. The frown stayed on his countenance as he watched John pulled out Donna’s chair for her and then assisted her getting comfortable at the table. “You said you were otherwise engaged this evening,” he said pointedly to Donna in a low voice.

“I did,” she agreed, adjusting her napkin to lay it on her lap as she fought with her rampant emotions. “And this is me being that, Roderick.”

To her left, John was midway to sitting himself back down as he exclaimed, “You know our Ricky?!”

“Yes, I do,” she cautiously admitted, unable to meet his inquisitive and questioning gaze.

“Donna and I were colleagues,” Roderick supplied. “We worked together intimately for many months.”

Donna wanted the floor to open and swallow her up; but only after she could get the chance to shut Roderick up. The smug git describing her like that!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** you might like part of this...

Trying to ignore the blush that was obviously exploding all over her face, and the general enquiring attention suddenly focused on her, Donna piped up with, “That was quite a while ago now. I’ve moved on. Rod-Roderick was a previous boss of mine; you see. I was his personal assistant until Daisy took over.”

There was a strained look about John’s expression. “How long?” he wanted to know.

She shyly glanced at him. “How long ago or how long did I work for him?”

“Both!” he declared through gritted teeth. 

“Is it a problem that Donna was my girl Friday, John?” Roderick smoothly wondered; his concern dripped through his words like wasps on a sugary drink. “I assure you nothing untoward happened.”

Yeah, like that didn’t make it sound as if something had. Donna seethed with embarrassment and indignation. “Cheek! I was much more than that; I was his personal assistant,” she clarified for Verity and Sydney. “And as for any shenanigans happening where I was concerned, it certainly didn’t. Daisy on the other hand…” That’d drop him in it!

“What did you do to the girl?” Sydney asked Roderick. “To this Daisy she mentioned?”

Roderick shot a warning glare at Donna. “Nothing, Uncle Sydney. Donna merely relinquished her interest in working with me, and Daisy took over her position.”

He said what?! Blind fury made her blurt out, “Oh yeah? Funny that, because I don’t remember having a set position that included me being in your bed!”

Everyone else at the table gasped in shock, but Roderick stayed calm. She was merely acting from a bitter standpoint, he told himself. “Not that such a position had long been your ambition, dear Donna,” he tormented her with. “Such a shame. But then who could blame you for being jealous?” 

The cutlery went flying then as Donna forced her body up out of her seat and her hand landed with a loud smack on Roderick’s face in an involuntary act. “Jealous! You bastard!” she spat out at him. Part of her was quite pleased that he almost fell off his chair as he dealt with the blow.

John instantly grabbed hold of her arm to stop her taking another swipe at his cousin, but Donna’s anger was already spent, and she shook off his strong grasp.

“I think you’d better leave,” Verity suggested in a low bitter tone. 

“John?” Donna half sobbed as she looked to him for support, but he was merely staring at her dumbfounded, still unable to believe she had actually lashed out. “Yes, I’d better,” she agreed, grabbing up her coat and handbag whilst wiping away the hasty tears that appeared on her cheeks. “I’ll leave you all to er…”

But she didn’t bother to finish her sentence, let alone her thoughts, as she marched away from the scene as quickly as she could. Her only consolation was the fact she had landed a slap fair and squarely on one of Roderick’s faces; the one he presented to his family. The other one she knew he kept for private. 

Once outside in the cold air, her brave façade crumpled and she burst into tears. How had everything descended so quickly and so badly? Part of her knew that she would have to cry this out enough to enable her to be able to see as she drove back home to Jocasta’s; and there would be the little matter of trying to decipher what the aftermath might be. 

Had she ruined it for John’s parents to be able to carry on living on the farm? Would he ever want to see her again? Did this mean, yet again, that her mother was right about her inability to get and keep any man, let alone a decent one? It was all so horrible. 

 

Back inside the restaurant, Sydney had broken the tension by asking, “What was that all about?”

Roderick nursed his cheek and addressed his stunned cousin by commenting, “Donna always was a little fiery. It is nice to see that she hasn’t lost any of her passion.”

“Are you saying that Donna was once your girlfriend?” Verity openly asked.

With a shake of his head, Roderick replied, “No, Aunt Verity. Much as I was tempted by her ways, I resisted her charms. It seems that John here did not.”

The implied criticism broke through John’s hurt trance. “What are you trying to say?!”

“Nothing of any harm,” Roderick insisted, and took a long sip of cold water from his glass on the table before him. “But Donna has a particular reputation, and obviously tried to get to me via you.”

A small choking sound came from John’s throat as he contemplated this possibility. No, it couldn’t be so! Donna’s surprise when she saw Roderick couldn’t have been faked. After all, he had been the one to mention his cousin Ricky, not Donna. 

Pushing back his chair, he announced, “Excuse me.” And then made off to seek out where Donna might have gone when she had fled.

“Roderick! What did you really do?” Verity growled at him in anger. “If you have deliberately upset John just to get back at that girl…!”

The threat did not fall on deaf ears, and Roderick looked contrite for a second. “I’m sorry, Aunt Verity,” he mumbled. “I’ll make it up to him; to you.”

“You’d better,” she retorted.

He gave a sniff and picked up the nearest menu. “Let’s choose something to eat and then we can discuss all this properly.”

Sydney picked up his own menu with a resigned air, knowing that his wife was only more than willing to take on her nephew and beat him into submission. Perhaps the appearance of John’s Donna would turn out to be fortunate for their predicament after all…

 

John raced through the restaurant, peeping into every corner to see where Donna had possibly gone, without any luck. “Come on. Where are you?” he quietly spoke aloud.

“Excuse me, sir, but are you looking for your wife?” the maître d’hôtel asked when he spotted John frantically searching.

“Yes!” John quickly replied, deciding to ignore the title mistake for now. “Did you see where she went?”

The maître d’hôtel pointed towards the main entrance. “She stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, sir.”

“Thank you!” John threw at him as he burst out through the restaurant doors. 

The first thing he spotted was Donna’s car still sitting in the car park. Thank goodness for that! It meant that he was in with a chance to catch her. The next thing he spotted was Donna herself, leaning against the wooden cladding on the wall by the side of the main entrance doors, watching him dart his gaze about with great interest. In her hands were her mobile phone and several used tissues. 

It must have looked quite comical, the way he suddenly halted in his tracks, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a lorry; but he saw no humour in the situation. And to top it all, soft rain began to fall, threatening to drench them in the next ten minutes. 

They stood staring at each other, not knowing what the best start to their conversation would be.

“Well? Are you going to stand there gawping at me all day, or are you going to ask me whatever questions are on your mind?” Donna testily quizzed him. 

Swivelling on the spot, he spluttered, “Oh! I don’t know, but erm… if you… I think we should talk.”

“Rightio,” she agreed. “Go on then: talk!”

No no no no! This wouldn’t do. Not here, in public. He shook his head, “No, not here. Can’t we go somewhere else?”

“Like where?” she demanded. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather get dumped here, and then I can just go straight home.”

“Dumped?!” he echoed. “Who said anything about being dumped?”

“It doesn’t matter, because you’re going to dump me after what that arsehole said about me in there,” Donna bitterly stated. “The continuing saga of ‘Daisy Gets Her Man’.”

A puzzled frown crossed his face. “I’m sorry, but who is Daisy, and why are we discussing her?”

With an exasperated sigh, she explained, “Daisy is Roderick’s shag bunny; the one that won. The one that always wins. And I end up looking like a complete idiot.”

The puzzled expression deepened. “I really don’t get what some woman that Roderick bothers to sleep with has to do with me!” John confessed. “Unless he stole her off you; or...” Several thoughts could be seen to whirl through his head. “…she stole him. Did she, Donna? Did she steal Roderick from you?” It hurt so much to ask the question, but he had to know. 

Averting her gaze, she reluctantly whispered out, “Yes.”

How he stopped himself from screaming in horror he didn’t know. As it was, he sunk to his hunches, trying to catch his breath as the implications hit him. Ricky was right! She had used him to get back to Ricky. All that had happened between them was a complete sham. 

Then he felt Donna’s comforting arms capture him, her mouth whispered soft words into his ear, as she tried to manoeuvre him away from the building. “It’s not what you think,” she told him. “Let’s get into the car and out of the wet. I promise I’ll explain, but just let me get you somewhere private.” 

So he let her guide him into the front passenger seat of her little blue Peugeot, all the time wondering what on earth she could say that would make this all better. This was a nightmare; it had to be. Things like this didn’t really happen.

“Well?” he immediately asked her once her door was shut and she was sitting in the driver’s seat beside him. He could hear the sob catch in his throat but he didn’t care anymore. If she was merely after Ricky then he had to find out what it meant for his parents and his future life. 

Taking in a deep breath, she tried to be brave but his wet, accusing look was breaking her heart. “Your cousin is a lying scumbag,” she began. “He made it sound as if we were heavily involved, when we weren’t. No, hear me out. I was merely his PA, and yes, I confess that I did fancy him for a while. He used that against me, getting me to work longer hours training Daisy, with the promise of rewarding me. As it turned out, my reward was Daisy getting my job, all the credit for my hard work, and a place by his side. All I got was redundancy with no pay out. He couldn’t wait to get rid of me once she squirmed her way into his bed; but then he had the cheek to phone me up the other day and offer me a new job, giving me a load of baloney about needing my skills, and an invite to go out with him for dinner today!” 

John’s mouth opened and closed a few times like a gasping goldfish. Finally he managed to ask, “Did you love him?”

“I thought I did, but I didn’t,” she disclosed. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

“And me?”

“What about you?”

He blew out his cheeks as he tried to decide on his next question. “What did you know about me?”

“I knew he had family in the country, that he was considering buying a farm, that he wanted to rescue an old family business, but I didn’t know anything about you,” she supplied as honestly as she could. “I thought it was a mere coincidence that you looked a bit like him, and I tried not to use that against you.”

“So it wasn’t a plus?” A disbelieving hollow laugh escaped from his lips. 

“Okay, I admit it helped. But you surpassed that.”

“How?” he inevitably wanted to know. 

She snorted her scorn. “Have you seen yourself in your black jeans? You are gorgeous, and I mean in a drop dead gorgeous sort of way. And your eyes are way lovelier than his. I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me the way you do. His eyes are usually cold and calculating when he isn’t trying to charm the birds out of the trees. And don’t get me started on his hair! I dread to think how much muck he uses on it.”

A smile spread across John’s face at that thought. It was true; Ricky loved his slicked back style. Goodness knew where he had got it from. 

“Are we okay, you and me?” Donna cautiously wondered. 

He risked nodding. “I think we can be,” he quietly replied, and gulped down his doubts.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I'm so sorry about the long delay caused by frequent migraines.

So many doubts swirled through John’s head; all of them concerning what he could provide as a viable future for Donna, since she had previously chosen someone successful like his cousin Ricky to love and adore. And now there was this home relocation problem that threatened to throw everything into chaos. If he didn’t say something now, he might balls it up for them forever, when it had felt so right being with her in oh so many ways. His heart pounded anxiously in his chest as his brain fought to find the right words to express his feelings in that moment. “I really don’t want to lose you from my life, Donna. And…” He ground out, “It’s no good.”

“No good?!” she whimpered in fear. Was he dumping her after all?

John fisted his hands as he sat there, trying to control his emotions; wanting to passionately kiss her whilst also wanting to lash out in blind fury. ‘Calm yourself down,’ he kept telling himself “I can’t just leave it like this,” he attempted to explain. “Ricky knew you felt something for him. Did he know all along?”

“Yes, but…”

It was too painful an admission, so he cut her off. “And he favoured this Daisy girl over you?”

“He did,” she confirmed with a nod, wondering what he was leading up to.

Get it in context, the logical side of him insisted. “What did he say exactly when you stopped working for him?”

“He erm… he said…” Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of the painful memory. “He said he had all the employees he wanted and I was ‘superfluous’ to his needs; that I’d long stopped being an asset.”

Appalled that Ricky was such a git and she should still find her dismissal so upsetting, he forged on with his last question, “Then why did he ask you to work for him again?”

“I dunno,” she admitted with a sniff, and made use of her tissues again. “He told me he needed my particular skills for his new project and gave me the impression that Daisy was as useless as I thought she was.”

Realisation suddenly hit John, and everything was crystal clear in his mind. Ricky seeking Donna out now was no coincidence; instead it was a worked oracle. “He wants you to run the farm! That is it!” he cried, bringing his hands up to grab handfuls of hair on his head in agitation. His expression was thunderous. “I am sorry, Donna, but this needs to be done.”

“What does? Tell me, John!” she begged, but he was already halfway out of the car and striding angrily back into the restaurant.

 

As soon as John had left them alone, Verity had taken her chance and rounded on Roderick in anger. “How could you?” she hissed in disbelief. 

“What, Aunt Verity? I didn’t say anything,” he smoothly replied as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Do not take us for idiots,” Sydney warned him. “You may be taking over the family farm but it does not give you any rights to insult all and sundry; especially where John and his girlfriend are concerned!”

“I merely spoke the truth,” Roderick defended himself and dismissively returned his gaze to the menu in front of him.

A familiar hand suddenly slapped the menu down onto the table, obstructing his view of it. 

“No, Ricky; you acted like a spoilt brat who had had his favourite toy taken away,” an irate Verity informed him, ignoring his resultant cry of protest. “I may not have seen much of Donna but she is a lovely girl and she makes our John very happy. If you jeopardise that I shall tan your hide!” 

“I am a little old for such treatment,” Roderick retorted, despite being affected by her words.

“I don’t care how old you are!” Verity fumed. “You will always be the same little boy to me who came and played in my kitchen with the washing up bowl and soapy water.”

A blush appeared on Roderick’s cheeks at the memory. Nothing would ever make him reveal that being at his beloved aunt’s home was a much treasured memory of his childhood. “I grew up long ago,” he murmured.

“Then prove it!” she bitterly challenged him. “Act like a proper grownup for once and, pardon my French, stop being such an arse towards the people you actually like.”

“Who said…?” he started to ask in denial, but he was interrupted.

“It’s plain as the nose on your face that you like if not love that poor girl,” Verity insisted. “You were getting back at Donna for some reason, and it wasn’t pleasant to sit here and watch it happen. So stop it, I say! Stop it now!”

“But I…” Roderick was at a loss for words to continue to defend himself from his aunt’s words. 

Did he love Donna? Surely not, part of him scoffed. He didn’t do full romantic love. Never had done. Even his current liaison with Daisy was merely for evening entertainment, with the odd moment of having her as a trophy girlfriend; and he could have had Donna in his bed at the click of his fingers if he had so desired. Except he hadn’t done that, but had kept her at a distance, working her to the bone as she tried to endlessly please him; always looking at him with those deep blue amber-ringed eyes of hers, and smiling that reassuring smile she tended to flash in his direction that made things seem so right. 

There was no doubt in his mind that he admired her skills in an office; he wouldn’t have offered her a PA job as a major part of his latest project if he hadn’t thought she was perfectly capable of doing a brilliant job of it. Many people had remarked on what a treasure she was in the office, and he had keenly missed her after she had left. In a moment of weakness he had allowed Daisy’s jealousy to sway his decision towards letting Donna go when he really shouldn’t have done. Consequent events had shown that she had been the company asset he had denied she was, and he longed for her to return forthwith. 

But that wasn’t love, couldn’t be love. It was probably him reacting to seeing her again, and with his cousin John, of all people. What had made her choose _him_? If it had been any other woman, he would have willingly cheered for John’s good fortune, because he certainly deserved to meet such a lovely woman; but this was Donna, and Donna didn’t belong with John. Quiet, studious, and ultimately lonely John who lived only for the farm and pleasing his parents. Oh no! She belonged with… 

Mentally berating himself, Roderick hastily shook off where that line of thought was leading. It would not do to think in such a way, and he was probably only being reactionary. 

“What about us?” Sydney questioned him, breaking the spell and forcing his mind onto the current situation. “Have your plans got anything laid out for where we’ll live?”

 

“Ah, John; good to see you’re back!” Roderick later genially greeted the sight of his returning cousin. “I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of ordering the main course for us all…” But his words halted as John irately took hold of the lapels of his jacket and forcibly hauled him out of his seat. “John?! Surely we can talk about this in a civilised manner.”

John merely bared his teeth, slammed Roderick up against the nearest wall, and punched him hard in the face. First with a right hook that caught his mouth and then with a left uppercut to the chin.

The third punch never landed because Sydney grabbed hold of John’s arms from behind, pinning him from moving. “STOP!” he commanded.

Short sharp breaths came out of John as Roderick tentatively touched his aching lip and then the right side of his jaw; wincing with pain and feeling slightly sick at the sight of blood on his fingers. 

It was only when John finished squirming did Sydney release his tight hold on his arms.

“You’ve split his lip!” Verity stated in shocked tones. “What’s come over you, John?”

“I’ll kick Ricky’s head in if he tries any more of his tricks,” John seethed. Pointing an irate finger at Roderick, he spat at him, “That was for how you treated Donna and then thinking you’d get her to run our farm.”

By this part of the conversation Roderick had picked up a pristine white linen napkin from the table and was using it to dab at his wound as nonchalantly as possible. “I do not understand the problem. Donna is perfectly capable of dealing with all the paperwork running the farm involves; her skill set is very diverse.”

“I’m sure it is; but I want you to repeat in front of John what you said about the farmhouse,” Verity verbally prodded him.

With obvious reluctance, Roderick restated what he had previously told his aunt and uncle. “I said you can reside in the farmhouse until I have paid for a barn conversion for you all to live in. And I am sorry for making it sound as though I were insulting your girlfriend.” 

Sydney had fully released John by this point, so he adjusted his jacket sleeves. “Apology accepted,” John equally reluctantly agreed.

“Now shake hands,” Verity ordered them.

“Mum!”

“Aunt Verity!”

Their joint protest pleased Verity slightly. “I mean it,” she testily declared. “Or do I have to make you kiss each other first too?”

Both of them responded, “No!”

“Okay then…” She glared at them expectantly, and waited for the required handshake.

There was a brief handshake as they eyed each other warily.

“Good! Can we please now get back to the point of this family business meal? Because I am starving,” Verity demanded; and Sydney hurriedly agreed with her. “Oh, while I think of it; go and get Donna! The poor girl must be at her wits end.” 

 

As Donna had raced back into the hotel restaurant to follow in John’s wake, back through the reception area, she found herself being called out to; much to her surprise.

“Donna! Is that you?” a well-known young blonde woman standing by the reception desk cried. “What on earth are you doing here?” 

Funny how that sounded like an accusation. Oh no! This was all she needed right now. “Daisy! I wasn’t expecting to see you up here. Roderick said you were staying down in London,” Donna managed to reply. My, Daisy had certainly squeezed some money out of Roderick, judging by the expensive clothing she was wearing, her perfume, makeup and the carefully dyed and styled blonde hair.

“Oh, you know.” Daisy tried to conspiratorially smile at her. “He happened to mention he was carrying out some job interviews, and that one of them was with you.”

Smug revenge wanted to blossom out all over Donna’s face. Daisy must have absolutely hated the thought of Roderick deliberately seeking her out. Ooh goodie! “Did he?” she wondered, aiming for nonchalance. “When was that?”

“This morning,” Daisy innocently supplied, not knowing how much ammunition she had just handed over. 

“Blimey! You must have left straight away,” Donna commented; but was unsurprised that Daisy managed to ignore that remark. 

Instead, Daisy swept her gaze around the reception area. “Have you seen where he is? I want this to be a nice little surprise for him. He must have missed me terribly.”

“Depends how good a shot he is,” Donna muttered under her breath. “He was in the main restaurant last time I saw him,” she aimed to brightly respond instead. 

But any thoughts of revenge were replaced by other ones entirely when John appeared purposefully striding towards them, and Daisy happily squealed, “Roddy, baby! Look who’s here to cheer you up.” 

She then threw herself forward to hug a rather startled John. He immediately prised her unwanted tight grip on him off and inevitably asked, “Excuse me, but who are you?”

Daisy looked heartbroken. “Don't be mean. It’s me.” She then made another grab for him that he niftily sideswiped.

It was all Donna could do to hide her silent laughter. “You’ve got it all wrong. This is Roderick’s cousin John, Daisy; there’s Roderick,” she pointed out as the man himself closely followed, looking none too pleased at the sight greeting him in reception.


	13. Chapter 13

“Roderick?! What happened to your face?” Daisy loudly cried out in concern, shooting forward to try and embrace him.

Just like John had done, Roderick pushed her away from his body, with far too much disdain considering their supposed close and intimate relationship. “I fell and caught my face on the edge of a chair,” he lied. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” Donna queried with a snort of scorn as John averted a guilty expression and Roderick glanced at her with a none-too-pleased smirk.

“Why did you come here, Daisy?” he demanded to know instead, in a deliciously testy voice, Donna noted. 

“I wanted to see you,” Daisy insisted through a much practiced pout.

‘Yeah, of course you did,’ Donna thought to herself in disbelief. To her delight, Roderick arched an eyebrow in query, obviously thinking along similar lines.

“Since I have covered the most important ground with my family, I suppose you’d better come and eat with us all,” Roderick reluctantly offered. “If that is okay with you, John?”

“That’s fine,” John hurriedly agreed.

“Excuse me then while I speak to the management for a moment,” Roderick politely requested and strolled over to the reception desk to the eagerly waiting receptionist.

Seizing his opportunity, John reached out a hand to escort Donna back to the dining table, and pulled her close; but she resisted his efforts to guide her back. “I don’t think I should,” she hastily told him in low tones. “I can easily get something to eat elsewhere on the way home.”

“It’s all been sorted,” he whispered into her ear as they very slowly walked. “Mum made us come and get you after we… erm… we had a few words.”

“What’s that special code for?” she wondered with trepidation. “Is she going to have another go at me?”

John halted their progress through the restaurant in order to sincerely reassure her, “Oh no! It’s nothing like that, honest it isn’t. Mum wanted to have a private moment with our Ricky; she didn’t mean to make it sound as bad as that when she... I am so sorry she ordered you out, and I think she is too. I’m almost certain of it.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to go where I’m not wanted,” Donna insisted. 

“Oh Donna!” he sadly exclaimed. “I would never put you in such a position,” he continued, leaning in close whilst he tenderly caressed her cheek. He would have added in a kiss too but Roderick suddenly placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

A waiter anxiously hovered nearby as Roderick tetchily asked John, “Are you two coming?” Without thinking, he went to lay a hand on Donna’s arm but she flinched away, and he found himself frowning as much at her as he did himself, wondering what he had been thinking. Ignoring Daisy’s attempt to reach for him instead, he strode purposely forward.

“Sorry,” John immediately apologised, and then took a possessive hold of Donna’s hand to take her with them.

 

“We found Donna,” Roderick proudly announced to his aunt and uncle when they reached the table, and watched a waiter hastily place an extra chair and cutlery for the additional place setting on the table. “My friend shall have the soup,” he told the waiter before returning his attention to his family. “She was talking to my work acquaintance from London, so I invited her to dine with us too. Daisy, may I present my Aunt Verity and Uncle Sydney.”

Donna couldn’t help mentally noting that Roderick still liked to order and control the food of his companion; but she bit down on any outward observation. 

Greetings were cordially exchanged, and Roderick guided Daisy to sit between him and his aunt whilst Donna resumed her previous seat between him and John. Roderick smiled genially at her as she was informed, “I ordered the fish for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

Bugger! He’d done it to her again. Would he ever stop doing that to her when they met? All she could do in the circumstances was politely confirm that she didn’t mind, and smile just as sweetly back. It also had the added bonus of peeing Daisy off that Roderick was paying her attention. 

“So… you two work together?” Verity questioned her new companion as their food arrived. 

“Oh yes!” Daisy gushed. “I didn’t know Roddy had a cousin that looked so much like him.”

John suddenly found a very flirty look being aimed in his direction. A look that seemed quite familiar. “You remind of someone I met once,” he remarked. 

“Who? Was it Kate Moss? Because I often get told I look like her,” Daisy boasted.

“No, not her,” John quickly denied.

“Was it Sienna Miller?” Daisy tried instead. “Roddy likes her, quite a lot.”

“Ah! Hence the extra blondness,” Donna muttered to herself under her breath. It all made sense now.

Unfortunately she was heard, and Roderick managed to distract her attention enough to glare meaningfully. “Daisy, your soup is getting cold. It would be criminal if you let it go to waste.”

“Roddy is so caring about making sure I eat properly,” Daisy proudly remarked to Verity. “It would be awful if I didn’t watch my weight too.” She then let out a much-practised giggle. 

“He has always been caring. Does the weight watching mean you have no intention of having any children?” Verity considered.

“Hell yes!” Daisy enthusiastically confirmed, scrunching her face up in disgust at the thought. “We don’t want a baby, do we, Roddy?”

“Is that true?” Verity asked her nephew, hoping it wasn’t.

After carefully dabbing his mouth with his napkin and then placing it back in his lap, Roderick considered his answer; fully aware of the scrutiny of his table companions. “I have no such plans, and I do not believe that I have had much experience of babies or young children. I cannot say I have deliberately sought them out.”

“There was that baby at the last school choir championships you conducted at,” Donna supplied without thinking. “You took rather a shine to her.”

“Donna!” Roderick warned; a full blown scowl on his face.

“You think I didn’t see you backstage cooing away to her when you thought no one was looking,” she continued, deliberately ignoring his angry pout. Any regard she had for that had long since gone. Plus, the bruised lip detracted from the effect, and so far no one had told her why or how he had the injury. From John’s shy demeanour she could only guess it was his fault, and that made her both proud and chuffed with him. “I’m trying to remember her name. Her mum seemed really nice, considering all that fuss, and then there was that other baby...”

  


“Yes, it was an eventful day,” Roderick curtly cut across her reminiscing. Part of him was mortified he had been seen being vulnerable; although it had evidently worked in his favour where Donna was concerned, now that he had a chance to examine that time, and would do so properly later, when alone. Once Daisy could be packed off to leave him be with his thoughts, obviously. The woman was like a limpet at times, and could only be prised off if he threw money in the opposite direction.

Verity smiled with delight. Now this was the sort of thing she wanted to hear about their Ricky. It reminded her that he could still be the decent human being she knew he was underneath all that imposing guise. “Do you still keep in touch?” she wondered.

“I sent a birthday gift and I had a Christmas card,” he responded before he knew it, and blushed in embarrassment. “Nothing anybody else would have done in the same circumstances.”

“Of course,” Verity agreed, still smiling with undisguised relief. “I’m sure John would have done the same.”

“Who me?” John spluttered, distracted from eating his steak and listening to Donna managing to reveal information about their Ricky. “I’d be frightened to hold a baby, in case I dropped it or something.”

“It would only be like holding a newborn lamb, and you’ve probably held dozens of those,” Donna pointed out in an effort to console him.

“I know; but a baby... you have to worry about their heads, you know, supporting their necks, and making sure they are safe, warm and happy. I’m not sure I could do all that,” John worriedly admitted.

It was so easy for her to reach out and take his nearest hand in comfort and give it a reassuring squeeze. Instead of making the obvious comparison with Roderick, that if he could do it then anyone could, she said, “By saying that you’ve just proved you’d be excellent at being a father.” When his eyes went wide in surprise, she quickly added, “Or just holding someone else’s baby.”

“There’s more to being a father than holding a baby,” Sydney retorted jovially. “And you have to find the perfect woman to have them with,” he continued, aiming his praise towards his wife. “We were only blessed with only the one but she did me proud.”

Verity inevitably smiled modestly back. 

“Do I make you proud, Roddy?” Daisy simpered in his direction, having felt rather left out in this family discussion.

‘Proud’ was not the word he would have chosen at that moment. “Present company does not allow me to divulge how you make me feel,” he diplomatically tried to answer, and gained a pleased grin. 

He never said that?! Donna immediately swallowed her food wrongly, and had a coughing fit. Two strong hands suddenly started patting her on the back.

“Give her a sip of water,” Verity ordered them.

“I’m fine,” Donna gasped out after some seconds, and wiped at her watery eyes. “Blimey! I wasn’t expecting that. Probably a fish bone, or something, went down the wrong hole.”

“Or something,” Roderick echoed; and then to her complete surprise, he winked at Donna. 

What had come over him lately? Stifling a giggle, she turned to see if John had noticed; but he hadn’t. Instead, he was looking at her with great concern. 

“Are you okay?” he mouthed, obviously wanting to take a firm hold of her hand.

Aww, he was so sweet and adorable! “Yes,” she answered, resisting the urge to grab and kiss him then and there. That would have to wait until later.

On the other side of the table both Verity and Sydney were thrilled to see the tender exchange; but it was only Verity who noted Roderick’s less than pleased expression. 

“Tell me, Daisy, were you working with our Roderick when Donna was still with him?" Verity asked.

Daisy nodded as she finished her soup, and wiped off any possible remnants on her face with her linen napkin. “It was Donna who acted as my mentor when I first started. You should have seen me, I didn’t know a thing!”

“And didn’t we know it,” Donna commented only loud enough for John and Roderick to catch her words.

“But I picked things up really quickly,” Daisy continued, “so much so that when Roddy had to choose one of us to leave, I got to stay.”

“Yay! Who’d have believed that one happening,” Donna couldn’t help adding quietly.

A frown appeared on Verity’s face. “Am I right in thinking you’re his girlfriend?” That gained another enthusiastic nod. “Then does that mean you will both be living one day in the farm-”

“Aunt Verity,” Roderick quickly interrupted her question. “The finer details haven’t been decided upon yet; there are very many different alternatives available in the near future.”

“What are you going on about, Roddy? I don’t understand,” Daisy admitted. “Where does your aunt think we’ll be living?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it yet,” Roderick patronised her without showing a hint of embarrassment. “Any relocation would need to be thought through very carefully.”

“Why don’t you talk it over with our John while me and your uncle head for home?” Verity proposed. “It was a lovely meal. Thank you for treating us.”

“Yes, it was smashing,” Sydney remarked. “But I need to go and rest, and I’m sure you want to spend more time with Daisy here.” He smiled sweetly at the girl in sympathy. It was obvious she was not going to get the relationship she was hoping for.

“Of course,” Roderick accepted their suggestion. “John and I can catch up properly, and I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Verity queried in surprise. “I thought you were going back to London tonight.”

“I’ve decide to stay on for a bit longer,” Roderick reluctantly revealed. “I cancelled my engagement for tonight and things need discussing here.”

It certainly had Verity wondering what his motive was in not returning back to the capital as soon as possible. He’d been quite keen to cut his visit short before the meal had started; which left only two possible candidates for his change of heart.

As for John, he was wondering what his cousin’s motivation was too with this sudden change of heart. It was with some hesitation that he bade his parents goodbye and a safe journey home in Roderick’s limousine. He really didn’t like finding himself being forced into spending quality time with Ricky. Was this a genuine attempt at socialising or merely a ploy to establish who the alpha male with their female companions was? The next half hour would probably tell.

“Are you alright?” Donna anxiously asked him as Roderick settled the bill.

“I’ll let you know later,” he discretely answered. “Just promise me this, please; don’t leave me on my own with Daisy. She’s terrifying.”

With a happy chuckle, it was easy for Donna to assure him she wouldn’t. As for her own chances with Roderick, well, that was yet to be seen.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** sorry for the delay again. It was unintentional.

“Let’s see if I can get us a moment alone,” John whispered to Donna, and then turned to confront his cousin. “Ricky, I’d better go and check on the sheep in the top field before we talk, since Dad isn’t feeling up to much.”

“Oh, do you?” Roderick sadly acknowledge this news. “In that case, we’ll go and make some notes in my room while we wait. Daisy can amuse herself watching Strictly Come Dancing or whatever is on the television this time of night.”

“Thanks!” John smiled at him in relief. “Come on, Donna.”

“Can’t Donna wait here too?” Roderick wondered, ignoring Daisy’s angry pout.

“I drove us here,” Donna pointed out. “He can’t go anywhere without me.”

“Ah, yes. I remember that being mentioned now.” Roderick sniffed with feigned nonchalance. “My room number is seventy five, so come and knock on the door when you get back.”

“Alone at last,” Daisy breathed heavily on his neck from behind, leaning against his back as he watched John and Donna leave the hotel restaurant.

“Quite,” he enunciated precisely, not turning to look at her but keeping his gaze firmly on the little blue Peugeot car as it pulled out of the car park. “Time to think, plan and re-organise.”

“What?!” Daisy was left to feel baffled as he purposefully strode away from her, and she raced to catch him up further down the corridor. This visit wasn’t turning out to be the romantic reunion she was hoping it would have been; and it was all thanks to the blasted Donna Noble! Ooh! She hated her!! 

 

“Okay, Scott of the Antarctic. Where am I aiming for?” Donna asked John as she drove down a pitch black leafy country lane.

“The same field we were in last night. I have to check the sheep are okay, and I wanted to make sure the lambing shed is ready,” he answered as he directed her to make a right turn.

“Why’s that then?” she wondered, manoeuvring the car around a sharp bend.

“It will be pretty busy in a few weeks and I don’t want to get caught out,” he answered honestly. “So if you fancy some sleepless nights and never-ending tiredness, please feel free to join us.”

“Will the farm be sold by then?” her practical side couldn’t help asking.

He visibly slumped. “It’s possible that it will be, but I can’t imagine not playing a part in lambing season.”

Giving his knee a fond pat, Donna consoled him with, “Let’s hope then that you get more than a chance to.”

“I can’t see our Ricky rolling up his sleeves and taking over that aspect of the farm,” he joked, and they both giggled at the mental image.

Less than ten minutes later they were back at the same barn as before; and John eyed it thoughtfully. “I wonder if Ricky meant this place when he mentioned that barn conversion.” He then explained for Donna’s benefit, “He’s offered to pay for a barn conversion for us all to move into when he takes over the farmhouse. At least Mum and Dad won’t be homeless.”

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “He certainly thinks the world of you lot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him be so magnanimous in public before. And I’m not counting the baby moment here.”

“Talking of babies… why don’t I show you our lambing shed?” he offered.

She batted his arm playfully. “You sure know how to show a girl a romantic time.”

“The night is young,” he whispered meaningfully into her ear, deliberately sending goose bumps down her spine. Well, it worked, until he thought to ask, “Did you bring your wellies?”

 

In the end, it was John that wore the wellies that were still in the car, and he laid down some cardboard he found in the car boot that had once been a large box, to provide a bridge of some sort across the mud, in a series of stepping stones to the entrance.

Giggling together, they managed to eventually land in the entrance of the wooden barn and Donna got her first look at the interior. The car headlights illuminated it enough to stop it seeming too scary, but her eyes glanced about to seek out where possible spiders lay in wait. 

“It’s okay,” John gently reassured her. “Nothing is lying in wait ready to strike in here.”

She snorted her scorn. “You say that now, and next thing you’ll know, a whacking great big hairy spider will jump out and scuttle across us.”

To her relief, John found a small lamp and lit it, its feeble light warming the meagre shelter. There were several bundles and bales of hay doted about the place; and in the corner were a plastic bowl and a large water jug. 

“Are you cold?” John wrapped his arms around her from behind and hugged her body tight. 

“I was bloody freezing out there,” she admitted. “But it’s toasty in here in comparison.”

“In that case,” he proposed, gradually turning her within his embrace, “we could spend a little time in here getting to know one another.”

Quirking an eyebrow at him, she commented, “Is that your game? I was hoping you’d warm me up.”

“I was aiming to do that too,” he murmured as their lips met in a tender kiss. 

“It’s still too cold in here to do anything,” she warned him, whilst biting at his bottom lip.

“Now I’ve got you here I’ll find a way,” he confidently replied. “And I also might have brought up some blankets earlier in the hope I’d entice you here.”

“A man that is prepared. I’m impressed,” she breathily commented, and allowed him to ease them down onto some straw.

 

“John, is that you?” came suddenly from outside the door.

“Dad?!” John yelped in terror as they froze, locked together. “I thought you weren’t well enough to come up here.”

Sydney’s voice stayed distant. “I saw the car headlights so came to check it wasn’t anything suspicious” He then gave an embarrassed cough. “I didn’t know it would be you and er.. Donna.”

“Yes, it’s us; so don’t come in, we’ve got everything...” John gulped nervously. “...covered. We just popped up here before spending more time with Ricky.”

“Ah, I see,” Sydney replied knowingly; caught between being pleased for his son and wanting to run away in embarrassment. Either option would not make him set foot further inside the barn in that moment. “Enjoy your evening and try not to get home too late. Good night you two!”

“I won’t,” John easily promised. “Night, Dad!”

“Good night!” Donna called out her own farewell, and then buried her face in John’s neck to suppress her nervous giggles as Sydney left them back on their own. “Well that held some teenage memories I thought wouldn’t happen again,” she joked.

“It did?” he growled out in jealousy.

“I was only kissing some bloke, silly!” she reassured him and added a sensual kiss that very quickly deepened into a passionate and hungry one.

“God, the things you make me do,” he murmured as he undulated against her body. “I can’t seem to stop myself.”

“What sort of thing?” she breathlessly wondered, distracted enough by their bodies moving together to ignore the prickly straw.

A whimper of effort escaped his lips. “Creeping off like this, agreeing to turn up to family dinners, having to avoid my dad in the future, but most of all, wanting to make love to you each and every second,” he laboured to say. “In fact I think I love you...” 

The last word two words were rather lost within an amorous growl but she knew what he meant. She tried to reply with same sentiment. “I l...I lo...” But a feral yowl of completion tore its way out, and her nails dug into his back as she spasmed around him. “We’ve not even known each other a full week yet,” she commented with a wry laugh.

“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” he sagely responded. “It doesn’t take forever to know you’ve clicked with someone. But perhaps we ought to wait a month or two before we make any grand announcement.”

“Two at the least,” she playfully agreed. “Doesn’t mean we have to stop doing this.” ‘This’ being their post coital cuddle and the coitus that had preceded it.

“Oh no, definitely not!” he happily agreed with their deal/pact. “I suppose we’d better go and face Ricky now and get that other business sorted out.”

“You mean the farm and the question of where you’d live? I thought that had been decided,” she queried.

“No,” he answered, returning to ghost his lips over hers. “I mean him strutting round like a peacock to try and win you from me.”

“Well, that ain’t going to happen,” she scoffed, “not when I can have you instead.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when he was kissing her again, with pride and possessiveness. Any doubts that might have remained in her heart were totally wiped away in that moment; John was the love of her life and there was nothing that could stop that happening now.

 

“Ah! You finally made it back,” Roderick greeted them when they knocked on his hotel room door. Relief did not cover what he was feeling adequately enough. There was only so much of Daisy’s inane drivel he could put up with in one go when they were completely alone. It was the main reason he hadn’t given into her demands to officially move in with him; or unofficially, come to that. 

“We came as quick as we could,” John answered, resolutely refusing to look at Donna as he said it. He had no intention of giving away the true reason for their absence.

Roderick opened his door wide to welcome them in. “I have a little admission,” he confessed as they both stepped in and admired their surroundings after greeting Daisy. 

“Oh?” John asked. “Is it bad?”

“I don’t think so.” Roderick beckoned to them to sit on the large sofa that sat near the large window that took up most of a wall. Daisy was sat on one end, trying to appear pleased they had turned up and interrupted their alone time. “Since we don’t get together enough, I didn’t want you to worry about getting home; so I… I booked you a room for the night. My treat.” He stood looking extremely pleased with himself.

No! Surely not! John blew his cheeks out in disbelief. “That’s very kind of you, Ricky, but what about the sheep?”

Roderick’s smug grin grew wider. “I’ve already informed Uncle Sydney, and he said it would be fine for you to miss a few hours in the morning.”

Yeah, he bet he did! It also meant that he was likely to never hear the end of this when he got home. “Then I don’t know what to say,” John admitted. This sort of thing had never happened to him before and he was overwhelmed. “But thank you!”

“Think nothing of it.” The grin stayed put on Roderick’s face. “Would you like to see it?” he wondered in his eagerness.

“Yes. Yes please.” Blimey! John still couldn’t get over this; so he blindly followed Roderick, who surprising led them to the room next door to his.

“I kept you close; I hope you don’t mind,” Roderick said as he opened up the room. “And I got the staff to provide a few necessary extras.”

The necessary extras turned out to be two toothbrushes, toothpaste and nightwear for both John and Donna. She fingered the nightdress with curiosity; he’d chosen a silky, short number. “Did you choose this yourself?” she couldn’t help asking. There was no way she could imagine Daisy doing this for her.

“I merely suggested,” he modestly replied. “Just a little gift from me for you to keep.”

“It’s lovely. Thank you,” Donna enthused, holding the chemise tightly.

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” John deliberately leered; and gained the micro reaction from his cousin that he wanted. 

“Yes,” Roderick huffed out slowly. “Shall we go and have a drink? I’ve requested a little something to be put on ice for us.”

“Are we celebrating anything special?” Donna meaningfully asked Roderick as she walked passed him holding open the door.

“We shall see,” he enigmatically answered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I am extremely sorry about the long update delay. It's been an angsty couple of weeks.

Champagne was poured out for them.

“It’s been too long since we properly talked,” Roderick remarked to John after they all had clinked glasses together to toast their reunion.

“Far too long,” John readily agreed. “Not since we graduated in London.”

Roderick nodded as he remembered the thrill of seeing his aunt and uncle turn up for his degree ceremony; deeply grateful they had bothered. Of course his dad had tried to ruin it by drawing comparisons between him and John when they had gone for a meal to celebrate; but then that was typical of his father. “A long time ago,” he murmured. “Do you still see that girl that followed you about for a while? What was her name; the one that was studying medicine?”

“Martha,” John reluctantly supplied. “She’s a full blown doctor now and has got herself a prestigious position working for the MOD. Jack was telling me when I saw him.”

“Ah yes, Jack Harkness,” Roderick relished saying. “I thought his name rang a bell.”

“Was he that good looking one you told me about,” Daisy piped up as she sipped her drink to the side of him.

“Daisy, I would prefer it if you kept as quiet as possible,” Roderick warned her icily.

Instead of retorting, Daisy pouted indignantly and took a gulp of her drink. “If you don’t want me here I might as well go and have a bath or something.”

The statement backfired on her, and instead of him reassuring her she was welcome to stay, Roderick leapt on the chance to be rid of her company. “What an excellent idea. Here’s the key, so go and treat yourself to a long soak.”

In disbelief as he searched through his jacket pocket and handed over the key, she feebly glared at him. “A bath? Why are you doing this?”

“You must be extremely tired and stressed out after your long journey today. Go and have a bubble bath, I’ll order us spot of supper and then we can spend some time together,” Roderick seductively persuaded her.

“Okay Roddy,” she brightly responded, and jumped up to peck his cheek. “I’ll go and get nicely ready for you. See you later.”

They said their goodbyes; and then four became three. Roderick gave a satisfied sigh.

“That was a bit mean of you,” Donna commented, surprised to find herself pitying Daisy.

“She’s a big girl now; she can cope,” Roderick drily replied. “More champagne, anyone?” he asked, holding the bottle up in invitation before replenishing their glasses. “Hopefully we shall have even more reasons to celebrate soon.”

 

An hour later meant that Donna had heard many tales reminisced about between the two cousins as they recalled their childhood joys and explorations on the farm. Their joy was not even tainted when Daisy phoned Roderick to ask him where he had got to, and he had fended off her concerns by saying he would not be too long. It was a tone Donna knew all too well from her days as his secretary; and she couldn’t help smirking into her glass of bubbly. If only Daisy knew what he truly felt.

John’s phone went off in his pocket. Gazing down at the display screen, he stated, “It’s Jack. I’d better talk to him.” He got up and listened intently after greeting his friend. “I’m having drinks with family at the moment; why? What’s the problem? I see… hang on a sec.” Then he put his hand over the microphone part and said to Donna, “I’m going to go and talk to him for a bit.”

“Why don’t you go to your room and Donna will meet you there in a few minutes?” Roderick suggested to them both. “I’m about to go and join Daisy.” 

Waiting for Donna’s nod of agreement, John grinned and gave her a brief kiss when she stood up to see him off. “Good idea. Meet you up there. I’ll see you in the morning, Ricky. Night!”

Watching him stride along the corridor and away from her, she tried to not be intimidated by this new situation. “So you’ve finally got me on my own,” Donna stated as calmly as she could. “What was it that you need to say to me so desperately?”

Roderick indicated that she sit down next to him, so she decided to oblige this time.

Taking a sip from his glass of wine, he then launched into his explanation. “As you know, I offered you a position of employment when I spoke to you the other day. Well, you have possibly guessed it has to do with the farm.”

“I have,” she confirmed with a nod. “It still doesn’t mean that I can take the job. I am very happy where I am at the moment.”

“Be that as it may,” he continued, acknowledging her words, “but I am not trying to flatter you unduly. This particular job offer was made for you.”

“I sort of guessed that one too,” she admitted. “Roderick, I honestly don’t know what your game is here. You’ve enticed me to talk to you on your own as if you want to declare your undying love, and we both know that isn’t true. Sometimes I wonder if you are even capable of feeling true love for someone.”

Hurt indignation crossed his face. “I feel just as everybody else does.”

“Are you sure about that?” she wondered. “You didn’t care tuppence about me until I walked away. If you actually felt anything remotely like love for me, you had every single opportunity imaginable for months, and you didn’t do a thing. So you’ll have to excuse me for not believing you for a second.”

“I have a confession,” he murmured in a low, guilty voice as he leaned in closer to her. “It is true that I knew about your affection and I chose to ignore it. No, please; hear me out. All my life, the people I love get taken away. My mother died when I was very young, as you know; but I didn’t only lose her. I lost my Aunt Verity and John from my life. Dad pushed me into being this…” Roderick swept a hand down to emphasise his body. “He is a sink or swim sort of person, so he forced me into this competitive, toughened lifestyle where winning was more important than anything else. The school he sent me to as a boarder was just the same.”

“That doesn’t mean you had to give up on the people you love,” Donna argued, feeling sympathy for his plight. “They’ve done nothing but welcome you since you’ve been here.”

There was a derisive snort as Roderick thought of John punching him earlier. “I blotted my copybook when I was seventeen by having an affair with an older woman, and was almost expelled from school because of it. Dad was furious with me for jeopardising my university application.”

“But that was ages ago!” Donna reached out and laid a hand on his forearm. “None of that matters now.”

“Don’t you see?” Roderick questioned her. “Every time I have loved someone it has been ruined; I know that reciprocating any real love will only end in disaster. That’s what I learnt!” He was panting now with emotion, but he had to make her see why he had behaved in such a way.

“And I suppose that gave you permission to behave like a complete prat! Well you certainly stomped all over my feelings when you hitched up with Daisy,” she bitterly retorted. “You killed any positive thing I ever felt for you. It was as if you hated me and had to destroy anything good in my life.”

“If you only knew the battle I fought,” he whispered, edging closer still. “I could only resist you by using her as a shield, and she practically threw herself at me.”

“I know. I was there, remember? Having to watch the Daisy Dyer Show every bloody day playing out in front of me, and her acting like a prima donna, throwing it in my face at every opportunity,” she spat out. “It wasn’t exactly a big surprise when you dumped me permanently for her. And don’t pretend you weren’t turned on by the bouncy blonde act pouting at you all the time.”

He had the grace to look chastised. “I am a man, after all, and she made herself sexually available in an attractive package. Albeit a style over content package.”

Donna could not resist re-joining, “Well you chose her.”

“Yes, I did,” he agreed, stretching the syllables out to emphasise his remorse. “Hopefully the problem that created will be resolved very soon.”

He wasn’t suggesting what she thought he was, was he? “No, Roderick; you cannot use me to scare her away. I’m with John now and I intend to stay with him.”

Suddenly wrapping his arms around her, he asked, “Are you sure? I could offer you whatever your heart desires.”

“Could you? In that case, I want John,” she answered decisively, placing a hand on his chest to push him away. 

“What about the feelings you had towards me?” he forlornly wondered.

“I did love you once; I won’t lie to you about it. As I said, you killed it stone dead with your shenanigans. But I’ve been lucky; I found John.” She gave him a small smile. “Why don’t you do yourself a favour and find someone you can properly love too? I’ve got a cousin that lives in Basildon, if you’re interested. She’s very ambitious. I could easily introduce you.”

He gave a wry laugh. “You always amaze me, Donna.”

“Supertemp!” she trilled triumphantly, feeling she had finally laid to rest quite a few ghosts.

“Touché,” he answered, raising his glass to her. “I suppose that only leaves us to join our romantic counterparts for the rest of the evening. Unless I can tempt you to imbibe for a little while longer?”

Inevitably she shook her head at him. “You’ve already used up your extra minutes on your permission slip; and I dunno about you, but I’m expecting to find a hot man waiting for me.”

A sneer appeared on his face. “Hot men are available in many places, if you care to look.”

Wanting to add to his sneer, she breezily replied, “I know! I found my one in a field, would you believe?”

“Quite,” he tightly muttered. “Shall we go to our respective rooms?”

“Yes, let’s,” she enthused, and got up out of her seat.

 

Walking quickly, Donna had no intention of spending any more time then was necessary with Roderick, and was quite relieved when he told her in a low voice, “You go on ahead. I want to get some ice,” as they neared their rooms.

“Okay,” she agreed, not even bothering to look back at him as he waited at the corner turn of the corridor. Her sights were firmly set on reaching room number seventy four, and in seconds she rapped on the door.

“Hello,” John cheerily greeted her, and drew her into his embrace, placing a possessive hand over her bottom to pull her closer still. He was dressed in little more than a dressing gown, supplied by the hotel. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Have you now?” she teased, seeking to soften her words with a kiss. “What are you going to do with me now I’m here?”

“Come and find out,” John seductively answered, dragging her into the room; and then the door was firmly shut.

Roderick stayed silent as he resumed walking towards his own room, but he couldn't resist standing outside John's door for some seconds listening carefully to the muffled sounds of joyous laughter from within. Why did he insist on torturing himself so? Placing a hand briefly on the wooden door, he then entered his own room to find Daisy ready and waiting for him, wearing a little number that hardly covered the bare essentials.

“Ooh dear!” he murmured under his breath to himself, and bit down on the disappointment that suddenly overwhelmed him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** it's been migraine after bloody migraine, so I apologise for the enormous delay in updating this.

With hesitating for a second, John had forced his mouth down onto Donna’s, desperate to reclaim her as his own. Fully aware of what his game was, she suppressed a giggle. Who was she to complain if he acted so? 

Breaking their kiss, she warned him, “I have to wash and change before we go any further with this.”

Despite giving her the full hurt puppy look, he released his tight hold on her and even retrieved the silky chemise that lay waiting on the countertop. “I suppose I’ll have to stay here, on my own, while you go in there,” he tried whining.

“Yes you will,” she agreed, cupping his cheek and using a baby voice. “I’ll be as quick as I can, so keep everything nice and warm for me.”

“Will do,” he replied with a happy grin. “Hurry back.”

With a saucy look over her shoulder, she disappeared into the bathroom; and rushed to get ready. A quick in and out spot of showering, where she resisted thinking of the showerhead as him caressing her skin, and she was soon out, towelling off her body, combing her hair and donning the negligee. 

 

Daisy couldn’t understand why Roderick had practically stormed into the bedroom and silently got ready for bed. After all, she had brought her newest short silk nightdress to seduce him with; normally he was very grateful afterwards, lavishing all sorts of gifts on her as though he was a cheating husband. If this all ended she’d have to go and find another wealthy man to sponge off to amuse her instead.

Getting up from her seat in front of the television to visit the bathroom, Daisy threw Roderick a querying look as he sort of hovered by the side of the bed, clutching an empty tumbler glass in his hand. “Are you okay, Roddy?” she asked.

Startled out of his thoughts, he snapped back at her, “I’m fine. Just hurry up in the bathroom.”

Shrugging her shoulders, she tried to ignore his mood, but when she returned into the room some minutes later, she found him standing very close to the wall with the glass held up against his ear. “What on earth are you doing?” she almost shrieked.

“Shush, woman!” he hushed her, keeping his ear pressed against the base of the glass, the other end held to the wall. 

“Oh my God, you’re listening to them!” Daisy gasped out in shock. “You are sick!”

He lowered the glass and turned to contemptuously glare at her standing judging him harshly. “Jealousy does not become you,” he said evenly.

“Me, jealous, of that.... That attention seeking cow!” she stuttered out. “As if!”

“Oh I think it is a serious case of you being jealous,” he smoothly countered, placing the glass on the bedside unit then then turning to lie down and stretch his long body out on the bed. “There really is no need to be.”

Momentarily consoled, she giggled and climbed onto the bed next to him, staying on her knees. “Roddy, I think you are toying with me,” she mischievously commented as she reached out to touch his shoulders.

To her surprise he took hold of her hands and rested them much lower on his torso. “That’s what I want tonight,” he almost ordered, his voice staying soft but stern.

It made no difference to her, so she began to obey by undoing the ties at his waist. Her misgivings continued when he didn’t say another word to her but seemed to be listening for something as he lay back on the pillows. 

Taking in a deep breath, his eyes would have been fixed on the ceiling if he had kept them open. A loud feminine giggle followed by a deep throaty laugh filtered in to them a few seconds later. Daisy opened her mouth to question if the sound was from his cousin but he immediately shut her up. “Get on with it; you know what I like,” Roderick demanded.

Wanting to please him, especially as he seemed to be in such a foul mood, she obediently did as he wished whilst wanting to stab that Donna Noble in her over bloated chest! 

“What’s the matter?” Roderick asked when Daisy seemed to stop and scowl heavily.

“Roddy,” she started to cautiously answer, “If I do this for you, what will you do for me?”

Without applying any thought to it, he replied, “Buy you that new handbag you were craving in Harrods.”

“And the matching shoes?” she attempted to bargain.

“We’ll see,” he vaguely agreed. He knew if he out and out refused to buy the shoes too she would retaliate by providing no service whatsoever. As it was his libido was finding her less and less interesting as the evening wore on even though he had been desperate for release earlier on. It certainly looked as though Daisy would have her work cut out if she was going to achieve a big enough finish for him to warrant the reward she badly wanted. Sometimes he wondered if it would be cheaper to hire an escort for the evening instead; and a heck of a lot less trouble.

 

Oops! Before she forgot, Donna picked up her phone and hastily called Jocasta. “Hello Jocasta! Good, I caught you before you went to bed. I’m phoning to let you know that I won’t be home tonight. You’ll never guess who turned up to the dinner. Only Roderick. Yes! I’ll tell you the full details in the morning but we’ve had a few glasses of champagne, and I’m not sober enough to drive so Roderick got me a room here.” Twisting and turning, looking at herself in the huge mirror that took up the top half of one wall, above the bathroom sink, she allowed a small smile to appear on her face. “No! Not with him, silly! What do you take me for? Roderick does nothing for me anymore. Plus he’s got little Miss Post-teen with him. Anyway, I’ve got to go. I have to meet John. He’s fine, thanks. I will do. See you tomorrow. Bye!” 

Well, it was almost the whole truth she had told Jocasta, she reasoned. Glancing at herself again, she was amazed by the item of clothing Roderick had acquired for her. Obviously he hadn’t chosen it himself; as if he would! She knew his tastes and this little item didn’t fit the bill. The label ‘little’ seemed apt in all sorts of ways. It was the sort of thing that only just covered your body; with its low fitting back, two triangles of material to cover the breasts, and only short enough to deal with the bare essentials. Her cleavage spilled out of the tight confines with rebellious abandon; far too much considering the colour of this item was almost virginal white. That fact made her laugh at the irony. 

Still gazing in the mirror, she bounced on her heels a bit, to see if anything would need damage control, but fortunately her goods stayed in place, so she didn’t feel like a trussed up chicken. Instead, she opened the bathroom door slowly, stepped out and began to sultrily walk towards John.

A small cough made him look away from the television he was watching from his relaxed reclined position on the bed. Immediately he made a choking sound and hastily switched the television off; practically throwing the remote aside in order to gaze at her. John was extremely pleased that the little number Donna wore fit so tightly over her heaving breasts and stopped so short on her body. To think he had almost told her he was too tired to consider having sex again that day.

There then followed a flurry of movement as he threw off his dressing gown, before leaning back and seductively smirking at her in order to entice her closer. 

The idiot! Donna felt love for him swell in her heart. “Ah, Mr Smith, I see you’ve been expecting me,” she quipped as reached the edge of the bed and noted the state of his naked body.

Unabashed, he took hold of her hands and gently guided her down onto the bed beside him. “Oh yes, I certainly have!” he readily confirmed. Drawing her closer, he pressed enticingly into her stomach. “I can’t believe we’ve been given a room with a bed. This is dangerously close to a honeymoon,” he continued. “Do you want to see my secret weapon?”

“Well, you know what you’re supposed spend your honeymoon doing. A word to the wise; I don’t think it is secret anymore,” she whispered before capturing his lips in another heart melting kiss. 

“The plans fell into your lap,” he commented saucily.

“You could say something like that happened”

“Before I continue to seduce you into bed, what did our Ricky want with you?” he asked, aiming for nonchalance and almost achieving it.

The silly pup still needed reassurance, eh? “I’ll only tell you if I’m allowed to know what was so important about your phone call from your friend Jack, what it was all about,” she countered.

“Oh that!” he exclaimed as he fought to remember. “He wanted to tell me about the job application I gave him a personal reference for. Apparently my good word went a long way,” he boasted with a little sniff of pride. Placing his lips onto her bare shoulder, he murmured, “Your turn.” 

“Funnily enough it was for a similar thing,” she replied, ever conscious that his mouth was open wide on her flesh, slowly leaving hot wet kisses. “He tried to flatter me into taking that job he offered me the other day. Get this; he claimed it had been specially created for me.”

Momentarily letting go, he tilted his head in thought. “That’s sort of true, from what he said at the solicitors’; not that he named names. So maybe you should...”

Gasping with surprise, she wondered, “Are you suggesting I take the job?”

“No, I’m saying you should consider it, if it means you staying here.”

A sly grin spread across her face, and she lowered her arms to wrap them around his waist. “Is there any special reason I should?”

Rolling them so that she practically straddled his hips, John pondered how he could persuade her to stay longer. “Well, I hear the standard of men to shag is quite high. That’s if you want one that possibly adores you. Not that I’m saying…,” he began to say.

“Oh no, you can’t take back what you said in the barn earlier!” she protested.

His laughter rang out. “I can’t? Bugger! I was hoping you weren’t paying attention.”

“Pft! Where you are concerned I do.”

“You do?” He raised a quizzical eyebrow as he tried to sit up and ended up resting on his elbow.

Inevitably she swatted his arm. “That wasn’t vows or anything, in case you think I’m trying to trick you into marriage.”

This was amusing; he was enjoying this banter! “So you’re thinking of marrying me already.”

“You are far too smug for your own good,” she complained.

“And you are too beautiful,” he softly countered, reaching up to bite playfully at her lower lip.

Oh this man! He’d be the death of her at this rate. There was nothing more she would have loved then to take him then and there. “Do you know what? I might have to prove something to you,” she growled amorously at him.

That sounded dangerous to him. “What’s that?”

Bringing her mouth close to his ear, she practically purred, “Honeymoons are fun, even false ones,”

“I’d say it was more jumping the gun, but I’m all for fun,” he retorted. “Any chance of the fun being sexy?” Throwing out a hand towards his bathrobe, he delved into the pocket and triumphantly pulled out three condom sachets that he dropped onto the bedcover beside them. “What?! I thought you liked me being prepared,” he justified when she didn’t laugh.

Should she let him know she was secretly pleased at his foresight? “Let’s find out,” she breathily suggested, and pushed him down onto the bed.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** more updating apologies, due to the usual migraines being persistent...

She was still above him, her pale skin flushed with satisfaction and her eyes shone with love as she looked down on him. At some point the negligee had been peeled from her body and tossed aside, leaving her completely unclothed before his eyes. Unable to resist the gesture, he tenderly stroked his fingers from her hips, up her back, and then onto her face; wanting to caress every inch. “This is the first time I have ever seen you naked in decent lighting,” he commented, sounding awestruck.

“Will you ever survive it, or having a soft bed for a change?” she wondered mischievously, adding in her own loving touches to his jaw.

“I miss the back of the Land Rover, obviously,” he joked. “Not as much as the barn.”

“Who could want to replace all that freezing cold draughtiness or bits of straw jabbing you in places you didn’t even know you had,” she agreed. “And as for that seat in your office…”

“Exactly!” He grinned impishly at her. “To think I gave all that up for you.”

“Are you sure you did?” She leaned down to kiss him.

“I know I gave it up. I could have sworn I’d done it all for you,” he giggled as she deliberately tickled him. 

They then kissed some more, sensual kisses that promised so much between them. John didn’t think he had ever been this happy. All of life’s problems seemed to have melted away thanks to the woman in his arms.

Of course it didn’t last, and the telephone to the side of them rang loudly; jolting them out of their warm cocoon.

“Who the bloody hell is that?!” he cried out in disgust.

“I’m not answering it,” Donna insisted. “You never know who it might be.”

Curiosity made him ask, “Why not? It’s not going to be the Scream slasher.”

The div! “Knowing my luck it’d be your mum. We’ve already been caught by your dad today.”

Sighing deeply, he swung away from her and picked up the receiver. “Hello,” he cautiously said into it. “Ricky?!” He then glanced meaningfully at the bedside alarm clock and rubbed a hand down his face. “Is there a problem?”

“Hello, John. No, there’s no problem,” Roderick smoothly replied. He could hear the breathless tone to his cousin’s voice and could easily guess what had caused it. Whether he was pleased about it was a different matter entirely; and if he were truthful with himself, he rather hoped he had halted any amorous tête-a-tête. “Sorry to disturb you and Donna at such a late hour. I do hope you weren’t already asleep.”

“We weren’t asleep,” John blurted out, raising his eyebrows in apology at Donna.

‘Yes, I know you weren’t,’ Roderick thought. The muffled sounds he had heard through the wall had definitely said otherwise. “In that case, perhaps you won’t mind that I phoned to say I have arranged for us to have breakfast together in the morning. If you could meet me in the restaurant at, what shall we say, half past eight?”

“Half eight would be fine,” John agreed; although to be honest he would have almost agreed to anything just to get off the phone in that instance. 

“Until then, good night. And I’ll see you in the morning,” Roderick calmly stated, and ended the call.

By the side of him, Daisy gently snored, unknowing and uncaring; so Roderick lay back down on his pillow, smirking with delight. He may not be able to stop Donna replacing him, but he could certainly rock the boat for a while.

 

“That was Roderick?!” Donna asked incredulously. “What a complete arse! He could have easily saved all that for the morning.”

“Perhaps he had a special reason,” John tried to defend his cousin. Not that he believed it for one second.

“Yes, we all know what his special reason was,” she grumbled.

“Let’s not spoil this altogether,” he begged, drawing her back into his embrace and kissing her temple. “I dunno about you but I could easily fall sleep.”

“You’ve had a long day,” she agreed, feeling sorry for him. It couldn’t be easy for him and the hours he worked. 

With one last loving kiss, they snuggled down together and were soon fast asleep.

 

Roderick strode out of his bedroom and headed for the breakfast facilities, not noticing until the last second who the stout man standing in his way was. “Dad?! What are you doing here?” he stammered out.

“I came to keep an eye on you, my boy,” his father answered sternly. “After your phone call yesterday I was most concerned.”

“I told you I can cope with this,” Roderick hissed under his breath. 

“Normally I would not doubt you,” his father continued, “but you seem to have lost sight of the ball.”

There was a feminine giggle and then Donna appeared in the foyer near them. She halted immediately. “Mr Peterson! Hello, it’s lovely to see you again,” she greeted him.

“It always gladdens my heart to see you, Donna dear,” his father heartily returned the greeting. “Is this what I think it is?” he aimed towards Roderick, a tinge of pride in his voice.

Before Roderick could answer, John came bounding up. “Flipping shoelaces coming undone,” he said to them before he spotted Mr Peterson. “Oh! Hello, Uncle Donald. Does Mum know you’ve come up here?” he wondered as pleasantly as he could, accepting his uncle’s handshake. 

“It’s good to see you, John. No, I haven’t informed your mother,” he cautiously replied, and shot Roderick a disgusted look. “Would you care to explain what is going on?” he angrily questioned his son.

Backing away from them as her phone rang in her pocket, Donna quickly answered it in a low voice. “Hello Jocasta. Sorry I can’t talk at the moment. Round two has just started up.”

“Why is that, dear?” Jocasta inevitably asked.

“Roderick’s dad has now appeared out the blue, so there’ll be fireworks. There always is when he’s around. It sets Roderick on edge every time, and then he becomes a complete arse,” Donna hastily whispered.

“Has he?” Jocasta wondered, enjoying this sudden twist in proceedings. It was sparking all sorts of ideas for her book in her head. “Do let me know once everything has calmed down. Take care!”

Setting the phone back in its recharging cradle, Jocasta almost skipped with glee towards her dictation machine. The plot was forming quite nicely in her mind, and she wanted to get a copy of that recorded as soon as possible. There was nothing like a disapproving parent to set the cat among the pigeons, or whatever the literary equivalent was. As she picked up her microphone, she pushed back unwanted memories from when it had personally happened to her; this was Donna’s story, and she would keep it that way. In many respects John was the perfect romantic hero with his layers of intellect, charm and shyness. Admittedly Donna was not the average heroine of romantic novels, but Jocasta intended to turn all of that on its head. By the end of it she wanted the reading public to adore her version of an older woman finding love armed only with confidence. 

 

“I was beginning to wonder if Roderick would ever let go of me when we said goodbye. He never was keen to be on his own with Mr Peterson,” Donna commented as she drove along the country lanes back towards Jocasta’s cottage. When John didn’t reply, she continued, “It still doesn’t feel right that we didn’t stay and have breakfast with your uncle, considering you haven’t seen him in ages.”

John merely stared despondently out of the window. “Trust me, we weren’t welcome to stay,” he insisted.

“We weren’t? Why?” she pressed to know. 

Sighing deeply, he reluctantly admitted, “Uncle Donald doesn’t like me; never has. Mum said he couldn’t wait to get Ricky away from me even before Aunt Cressida died.”

“That was her sister, right?” Donna sought to confirm.

“Yes.” He then turned towards her to quietly ask, “Can you drop me off first?”

“But… I thought we were going to eat breakfast together!” she complained.

“I know,” he apologetically agreed. “Sorry, but I’d better check on the sheep as soon as possible. Dad might be struggling with it all.”

Indicating right, she reluctantly headed towards Hollow Farm instead. “At least you can warn them that Mr Peterson has shown up, I suppose.” 

“They’ll be very pleased,” he sarcastically remarked. “Not that they won’t have been expecting it to happen at some point.”

The car pulled into the farm private road and she tried to smile consolingly at him as she glanced over. “Where exactly do you want me to stop?”

“Anywhere will do,” he distractedly answered, obviously deep in his own thoughts.

Trying to remain chipper, she parked the car as close to the farmhouse as she could without making it look as though she was expecting to be invited in. “I’ll see you later then,” she said with a hint of hopefulness. 

“Probably,” he muttered, giving his hair an anxious touch, and only then looked properly at her crestfallen expression. Leaning towards her, he captured her head within his hands and splayed his long fingers in her hair. Kissing her lips, he apologised with, “I am so sorry, Donna. We had such a great night together, and now I’ve brought the whole tone down.”

She gently kissed him back. “It’s natural to be worried.” 

“Maybe, but…” His lips against hers demonstrated his sadness, that is, until the kiss turned more passionate and sensual. Breaking apart, they both lightly panted. “I’ll phone you later to arrange tonight. Is that okay? God, I wish I could afford to book us another hotel room.”

“Who needs a hotel?” she wondered, suppressing a pleased smile. “Not when we have other means available.”

 

It was quite a sad scene between Roderick and his father as they ate breakfast alone together in the hotel restaurant. Everybody else around them was full of excited chatter about their day ahead, or they were slightly the worse for wear. Roderick felt neither emotion as he viewed his father over the top of his coffee cup, having pushed away the remainder of his full English breakfast. 

“Now that Daisy has gone I assume you want to have words with me,” he opened their conversation.

His father inevitably scowled at him. “Quite frankly, I am disappointed in you,” he begun. “The object of the exercise was to gain the necessary staff for your project and then return home. Last night I phoned you, only to be answered by that girl you insist on keeping when you have Donna in the grasp of your hand.”

“It’s not as simple as that,” Roderick protested.

“Isn’t it?” his father countered. “We need Donna to run the farm, alongside the man who will do all the donkey work. What has happened to you? You can normally get her to do whatever you want.”

“Those days are gone.” It was with pride that Roderick noted he had hidden the personal sadness of his comment.

“Then get them back!” Donald hissed through his teeth.

“I can’t,” Roderick stressed. “She has other interests now. Namely my cousin.”

Donald Peterson gave a cruel laugh; appalled with his son’s attitude. “John?! Since when did you allow anything or him to get one over you?”

Indignation and protectiveness made Roderick retort, “Dad, I don’t want to hurt John.”

“This isn’t about family,” his father said in a low voice, bending nearer to emphasise his words. “This is business; so listen to me, my boy. You will get Donna away from John long enough for her to agree to work for us. I really do not understand why your fondness for him is stopping you getting what we want. I have told you before, caring so much is a weakness.”

“Yes, Dad,” Roderick obediently chanted. It was something he had often done in his life; so much so, that agreeing with his father was as natural as breathing.

“We should form a little ploy to break them up for a while,” Donald continued, deep in thought. “A love interest from his past to stir up the waters. What was the name of that girl who featured so heavily in his life at one time?”

Shocked he should remember that detail, Roderick hesitantly supplied, “Her name was Martha. Martha Jones.”

“Ah yes! That’s the one. Give her a call,” his dad ordered.

It was with a heavy heart that Roderick nodded his agreement. Did the fact he wanted to do this for himself rather than the business make this so questionable? As he sat quietly thinking it through, he also considered how he would build a bridge back to his cousin afterwards.


	18. Chapter 18

Having escaped from his father, who had insisted on booking into the same hotel, Roderick was deep in thought as he went back to his room in order to brush his teeth. One of his habits was to always do so after a meal.

Daisy watched him as she leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom. “What are we doing today, Roddy?” she wondered.

“We?” he questioned, rinsing his mouth out and then drying his face on a hand towel. “You shall entertain my father for an hour or so. He needs a good walk around the gardens at this time of day. **I** shall deal with something else entirely.”

“But Roddy,” she protested as he pushed passed her to get out of the bathroom. “Can’t I come with you?”

Why did she always have to sound so petulant?! “No, Daisy. This is grown up stuff.” He amended his tone when hurt flashed across her face. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this on my own. It seems that we have Dad for company when we visit my aunt this afternoon, and I need to have a certain matter clear in my head before we go. It’s purely business.”

“Okay,” she reluctantly replied. “It’s just… I don’t think your dad likes me very much.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” he asked whilst knowing the answer. “Just let him lecture you about the flowers; that will please him.”

With a quick peck on her cheek, he was gone and informing his driver to head for a destination in the nearby village.

 

“Here you go,” Jocasta stated as she placed a beautifully decorated mug full of tea in front of Donna. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes thanks,” Donna gratefully answered as she accepted the hot beverage. “I was starving.” The empty plate sitting on the kitchen table was evidence to support this statement. “I hope John managed to grab something to eat.”

“If he has any sense he will,” Jocasta commented. “Any idea why his uncle doesn’t like him?”

“None whatsoever,” Donna admitted. “I mean… you’ve met John. Can you imagine anyone being upset with him like that? Because I can’t.”

“It is hard to,” Jocasta agreed. “But you never know what might have happened in the past.” 

Donna snorted her scorn. “That would imply John is a secret murderer or something when the man doesn’t have a harmful bone in his body.”

“And I assume you would know that by now,” Jocasta put forward, “having explored his body during your time together.”

What! Donna immediately blushed bright red with embarrassment. Did this mean that Jocasta had guessed correctly? “Oh, I don’t know about that…”

“Donna, dear, I may come from seemingly ancient and puritanical times but I know how these things work,” Jocasta cautioned, smiling to show that she meant well and supported her friend. “You and John are very tactile, so if you haven’t had sex already I would wonder why.”

“Well…” It was no good; she would have to come clean. And it wasn’t as if Jocasta was her mother, for goodness sake! “Yes, we slept in the same bed together last night.” Another flush blossomed across her skin. 

Feeling like gloating, Jocasta leaned back in her seat as she sipped her tea; grinning at Donna over the edge of it. “There’s no need to be apologetic. I will admit that I’m dying to ask questions but I respect your privacy too much to ask.”

“Good,” Donna mumbled, still feeling highly embarrassed with this subject matter. “Because I wouldn’t tell you anyway.”

That was all Jocasta wanted to hear, since it told her loads. “Very well; as you wish. I wanted to get some notes done while I think of them. Do you have any plans for today?”

“Not really. I’m seeing John tonight.” Donna sat looking thoughtful. “I’d better phone my mum and let her know I still exist. Afterwards, perhaps we could try out the shops in Audington this afternoon?”

Pleased with that prospect, Jocasta collected up the used breakfast things.

 

“Okay, I’ve got to go, Mum. I’ll speak to you later. Bye!” Donna ended her phone conversation as she reached the bottom step on the stairs and readied herself to complain about her mother to Jocasta, full in the knowledge she would gain some sympathy. 

There was a sudden loud rap on the front door. Puzzled as to who it could be, she cautiously turned the latch and opened the door. She gasped when she saw the visitor standing on the doorstep.

“Hello, Donna,” Roderick greeted her. “Sorry to disturb you but is it possible to come in and have a quick word?”

Biting down on the word she’d like to give him, she merely glared at him whilst opening the door wider in invitation. “I suppose so.”

“Thank you,” he stated as he crossed the threshold and stood on the welcoming mat. “This is quite charming,” he commented as he cast his gaze around the living room. “Has your employer lived here long?”

So he wanted to exchange pleasantries, huh? “About seven years or so. Have you been back here in that time?”

“No, I can’t say I have,” he smoothly replied, and then looked expectantly at her. 

“Oh right, would you like some tea while we have this quick word?” she offered, leading him through to the kitchen so that she could put the kettle on.

“That would be lovely,” he replied as he obediently followed. “Yes, very nice,” he muttered when he saw the kitchen. 

“Donna? Did I hear someone come in?” Jocasta called out. 

“You did!” Donna yelled back. “Roderick has popped in for a quick word with me.”

“Has he?” Jocasta wondered with interest as she appeared in the doorway, and then inhaled sharply when she spotted the man sitting on one of her kitchen chairs; who then immediately stood up to politely greet her. 

“How do you do. I’m Roderick Peterson,” he introduced himself. “You must be Jocasta.”

“Peterson,” she echoed as she limply stood there in mild shock. “You never said he was Roderick Peterson,” she verbally chastised Donna.

“I didn’t know I needed to,” Donna defended herself; but this felt a bit off. “Have you heard of him? I did say he was on the telly.”

Jocasta found herself under the wary gaze of both Donna and Roderick. “It isn’t that, dear, exactly. Please forgive me but I’ve met P- Roderick here before.”

It wasn’t as though Roderick had never encountered people behaving like this before, but something was stirring in his memory; something long hidden. “May I ask in what context?”

With an anxious lick of her lips, Jocasta informed him, “You may remember me as Miss Jocasta Pembery.”

There was a strangled cry from Roderick as he fought to regain composure. “Miss… Miss Pembery,” he stuttered. “You look well.”

What the hell was going on?! Donna busied herself making tea whilst overhearing this intriguing twist that was playing in front of her.

“As do you, Peterson. The last time I heard of you, you were heading to the Royal Academy of Music,” Jocasta confessed.

Open mouthed, Donna realised how long ago that was and who that made Jocasta. “Do you still take sugar?” she faintly asked Roderick, for something to say.

“Just the one; I’ve cut down,” he answered, still reeling from his shock. “Is the Newberry part your married name or your pen name?” he asked Jocasta.

“Both,” she replied, rather tightly. “I would have dropped it at the same as I did my ex-husband but alas, I was fairly well established by then.” 

“I see,” he murmured, still staring at her in shock.

“I’ll tell you what, why don’t I leave your tea here and I’ll bugger off to let you discuss your reunion alone?” Donna offered as brightly as she could as she placed two mugs of tea onto the kitchen table.

“That won’t be necessary, my dear,” Jocasta decided. “There is nothing further to discuss.”

“But…,” Donna went to protest, and then thought better of it, since Roderick didn’t look very keen either. “So you didn’t know Roderick is John’s cousin. Small world,” she commented as she sat herself down next to him, grasping her own mug. “Funny how it works.”

“Yes, highly amusing,” Roderick sarkily retorted, returning his attention to Donna. “I wanted to apologise for my father this morning. It was unforgivable of him for making you feel uncomfortable enough to leave. I would have welcomed you staying.”

Ignoring the pursing of Jocasta’s lips, Donna replied, “I know you would, so there’s no need for you to apologise; well, not for that bit anyway. And I know it wasn’t me he took offence against. What _is_ his problem with John?” 

Both of them pretended not to notice Jocasta silently leaving them on their own. Instead, Roderick sucked in his teeth in thought. “Dad has always had a negative attitude towards John. I wish I knew why.” He then covered her hand with his and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me it was Jocasta you worked for?!”

Speaking in equally hushed tones, she answered, “Because I didn’t know I had to since you only told me last night about who she might be. Is it a massive problem for you? Just go out there and talk to her, you idiot!”

His expression remained apprehensive. “I can’t!” 

It was weird to see his confidence deflate in front of her. “You need closure,” she insisted.

“What is this? Oprah Winfrey?” he snarked. 

“Don’t use that tone with me, Brylcream boy!” she snapped back. “From what you said, this has been hurting you for decades. Go on. Go and clear the air.”

The sneer stayed on his face. “No. What’s done is done. I have other things to worry about now.”

“Like upsetting family and taking over the world?” Donna teased for a second. “You’re probably right. Is there anything you want me to say on your behalf, when you’ve gone?”

With a shake of his head, he remarked, “I doubt that there is anything that could work in my favour. Dad was thorough, from what I can gather. I’m here to make amends with you.”

If only she could believe the gooey look he was sending her way; but experience told her that he was merely trying to manipulate her behaviour. “I’ve already told you that I’ve got a job.”

“I am not trying to coerce you into anything,” he calmly stated.

“Oh yeah? This is you, not trying to get me to take your job. I suppose you’ll be telling me next that your phone call last night wasn’t some nasty prank,” she blazed.

Oh! She had guessed correctly. 

“I was merely making an arrangement,” he protested.

“We all know what you were trying to do,” she vented at him. “I’m used to you doing it to me, but to try and interfere with your cousin’s happiness… That is low.” 

“Listen to me!” he spat out. “John is not your sole cause for concern.”

“It didn’t seem that way when you tried to muscle in on us last night. Talking of which, what _was_ that all about? Did you have some sort of secret surveillance cameras trying to catch us at it?” she continued to fume. “Is no one else allowed to touch him but you? If I was vainer I’d think it was me you were after, but I know you only want one thing from me, and that is these!” She wriggled her fingers in front of him as though she were typing on a keyboard.

Horrified with the way the conversation was going, he hurried to deny it. “Donna, no; that is not the case.” 

Her countenance stayed grim as she queried, “Then what is it?” 

“I…” ‘Say it!’ his conscience screamed at him. “I…,” he started to say again; and then he did the fatal thing of looking towards the door. He could detect Jocasta standing just the other side of it, and his courage failed him completely. “I will see you later,” he feebly continued. “Are you going to Aunt Verity’s? You are welcome to travel with us.”

“I’ll pass on that little experience, thanks. So, unless you have something else to tell me…?” she goaded him; and gained nothing more than an understanding nod.

To her consternation he took hold of her hand and raised the back of it to his lips to lightly press a kiss there. “Don’t ever let anyone say you aren’t special, Donna Noble; especially me. I wish I had treated you better,” he muttered. Releasing her hand, he strode out without a backward glance.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** It's taken me at least three days to add in just a few necessary sentences. I am so sorry about that.

Rising slowly from her seat, Donna stood gawping at Roderick’s retreating back. What the hell had just happened?! Was this a new tactic of his? She wouldn’t put it passed him. For a start, the loving looks just wasn’t him. It had never been his method. Schmooze, yes; and the odd bit of charm, but nothing as seductive as that kiss he had just placed on her hand. 

“I take it he said something to you about me,” Jocasta tried to calmly say as she re-entered the kitchen. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist overhearing.”

“He did,” Donna admitted, unsurprised by the confession. “But not very much. It must have been a shock after all this time. Shall I make us some more tea?”

“Please, dear.” With a cautious air, Jocasta edged closer to the table and leaned against it. “My father was a Housemaster, at St James Cathedral School. You may have heard of it? Anyway, Peterson was one of his more eager older pupils.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me, Jocasta,” Donna kindly insisted.

“Maybe, dear, but I want to.” She looked bashfully down at her threaded fingers. “When I met him it was just before his eighteenth birthday, and I was somewhat older than him; almost eight years. Such a difference would not matter these day but back then I would have been accused of cradle snatching. You probably assumed I am older than that. It’s a common mistake, I’m afraid.”

“I didn’t…,” Donna started to deny and then thought better of it when Jocasta snorted. 

“I had returned home from university, having procured a small job in a publishing house; keen to make my mark on the world before being faced with the prospect of marriage. Daddy was very adamant that I should.”

“Good for him,” Donna mumbled in support. 

“As usual, there was a gaggle of sixth formers waiting in the house for Daddy to pass favour on them, and amongst them all was a tall, dark-haired handsome but gangly lad who seemed different. There was a geeky charm to Peterson, and I was very flattered that he took such an interest in me. I had bright vibrant auburn hair back in those days, before it darkened and then went this peppery colour. Which rather explains his interest in you… Anyway, as I was saying, I was intrigued by his enthusiasm since my experience with boys was rather limited to say the least; so when he eventually tried to kiss me, I let him.” Her head came up then to rest her steady gaze on Donna. “It wasn’t supposed to be anything more serious than the odd tryst but Daddy found out after we had met in secret by the boathouse. Mummy was furious, of course, his father was summoned to the school to deal with him, and I was…” Jocasta then sighed deeply. “I was packed off to work for the National Trust in Bath. That’s where I met my ex-husband, Tarquin, a short time after.” 

The silence stretched out between them for a good minute.

“How do you feel about Roderick now? You must have cared about him once,” Donna tentatively queried. “He loved you.”

“That’s as may be,” Jocasta tried to dismiss the suggestion. “It was a long time ago, far too long to consider now.”

“Not even if there’s the chance he still loves you?” Donna quietly insisted.

Jocasta waved a hand towards the kitchen door as if she were slowly swatting a fly. “You saw how much his feelings have stayed the same. All I did was frighten the poor boy.”

“He isn’t a boy anymore, but a full grown man,” Donna reminded her. 

“A man who seems to have set his sights on you,” Jocasta commented with a bitter undertone, “even though he knows of your involvement with John.”

Oh dear! How should she play this? “He’s only interested in getting me to work for him again,” Donna insisted. “Obviously Daisy isn’t up to that task.”

“Ah yes. I’d forgotten about his little _friend_ ,” Jocasta said resignedly, as though that closed the box on the conversation. “He is far from the lovable boy I once knew.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Donna muttered to herself as Jocasta got up to refill the kettle at the sink. Perhaps it was best that she didn’t encourage Jocasta after all. “Just a thought,” she then enquired from her employer. “What did your ex-husband look like.”

“Tarquin?” Jocasta pondered, placing the kettle on the AGA. “There was a bit of a paunch on him the last I saw him but I haven’t seen him in a few years. But he was tall, rather dashing with dark blonde hair and a moustache when I first met and married him. I’ll show you some photos later if you like. Why do you ask, dear?”

“Oh, nothing really,” Donna replied, full of curiosity. “I was just wondering.” Yeah, wondering why all her heroes were tall dark and handsome instead of blonde and debonair. The pattern was set for an obvious perhaps long held secret of a reason. 

 

John stood surveying their small flock of sheep and the early evening sky beyond them. It would be dark soon even though it was only three o’clock, and he would have to head back to the main farmhouse. His phone had already rung persistently in his pocket; it had been his mother to remind him his uncle and cousin were there. As if he hadn’t had his fill of them already that day, if not his whole adult life time. Uncle Donald could wait to ignore him, as far as he was concerned. There’d always be another day for that.

It had been a pleasant walk down towards the farm buildings, but in the diminishing light he could clearly spot the Peterson limousine sitting in their yard. Oh yummy, he thought sarcastically. Part of him idly wondered if his mother had had a chance to throttle his uncle yet; another part sincerely hoped she had. She was certainly a fiery one when riled that was for sure.

As he reached the edge of the barn that held the farm office, John had ordered Jez, his sheepdog, to take himself off into the barn to sleep; and was wondering how he could efficiently escape when there was sudden movement on the other side of the farmyard. The front door to the farmhouse opened and Uncle Donald marched out, closely followed by Ricky and Daisy. It amused John to see Daisy try to daintily pick her way across to their car. No doubt their Ricky would get an ear battering about that later on! He was on a hiding to nothing as it was, what with his father and his girlfriend on his back.

“I am so sorry John wasn’t here to see you,” Verity was apologising to her brother-in-law, Donald Peterson. “Perhaps if you wanted to wait a little bit longer…?”

“We have things to do, Verity,” Donald sternly told her as he reached the car and waited for William, their driver, to open the door. “Come on, Roderick.”

Roderick was kissing his aunt on the cheek goodbye, and added in a brief hug, to her amazement. “Goodbye Aunt Verity. Thank you, as always,” he quietly told her.

“Bye, pet,” she answered, and took the opportunity to grab him into a bigger hug. “You come back and see me, you hear?”

He nodded his agreement, and then Daisy spoke her goodbye before climbing into the car as carefully as she could.

In next to no time, the Petersons were driving away in the early evening light. No mention had been made of the nature of their pressing business, and it hadn’t occurred to the Smiths to ask.

Watching the car drive away, Verity remarked tersely to herself, “Where is that boy?” Her eyes darted up towards where his possible journey home would be.

Little did she know that he was creeping around the outer edge of the farmyard towards the Land Rover at that very second. He was intent on grabbing back a chance to spend some quality time with his girlfriend without being cross examined. 

 

It had been at least an hour or so for Jocasta of closely observing a tender moment between Donna and her young man. In fact she had sat and made some copious notes for her next novel as she had sat in her comfy armchair; but time was getting on and an important call had to be made. 

Chuckling to herself, Jocasta picked up the phone and surreptitiously phoned her friend. “Hello, Verity? It’s Jocasta,” she announced in hushed tones. Peeping around the kitchen doorframe towards her lounge for a moment, she then continued to talk quietly. “I thought I’d better let you know that John is here.”

“John!” Verity squealed with relief and anger. “Thank God he is safe, I had begun to have visions of him lying hurt and bleeding in a ditch somewhere. What is he doing there?”

“Well, he is sleeping at the moment; nicely snuggled up with Donna on my sofa,” Jocasta informed her. 

And indeed he was, his whole body wrapped around Donna from behind as they lay fully stretched out on the cushions.

“When did he appear?” was Verity’s next question.

Jocasta had to think about that. “Ooh, it must have been round about four o’clock, I suppose. He looked rather anxious and even more apologetic when I made him take off his wellington boots and leave them in the back porch,” she supplied with a chuckle. “Now you are not to worry about the poor boy. He was practically dead on his feet when he turned up on my doorstep. I’ve fed him, they settled down to watch television together, and before I knew it they were sound asleep like two cosy puppies.”

“Hmm.” Verity was not pleased with her son but what could she do now about it? “Thanks for letting me know, Jocasta. Just send him home when he wakes up.”

“Ah. He may be a little late, judging by how soundly he is sleeping. I’m going to leave him where he is for now and send him home first thing in the morning… if that is okay with you?” Jocasta offered. “He said that he made sure the sheep are okay before he came here, so you needn’t worry about them yet.”

Knowing she was defeated for the time being, Verity agreed. “Very well. Send him home when you can. Good night.” Sighing, she put the phone down.

Voicing her own farewell, Jocasta ended the call and glanced at her sleeping beauties. They were rousing themselves, having probably been disturbed by her call. It was extremely sweet to watch them, so she stayed hidden from view in order to see what else they would do.

It began with John pressing tender kisses on Donna’s neck. She then turned within his loose embrace and they exchanged several small touches of lips that steadily grew in time and intensity. Then they inevitably rolled together until he was on top of her body, lying between her legs, and they were mouthing each other with more amorous groans and deepening kisses. Jocasta felt it was best to make her presence known when his hand wandered down onto Donna’s thigh in order to caress a path upwards underneath her skirt using his palm. 

Using a well-placed cough, and quelling a laugh as they hastily sought to rearrange themselves in a flurry of embarrassment, Jocasta stepped into her lounge.

“Ah, I see you are awake,” she remarked without looking at them directly. “I’ve just spoken to your mother, John, and told her you will be spending the night here on my sofa.”

John looked stunned. “That is very kind of you. Thank you. Did she erm… say anything else?”

“No, not really,” she replied airily, adding in a bit of obviously thinking play acting. “Just that you should get home as soon as you can in the morning.”

The anxiety on his faced eased away. Phew! He was off the hook, for a few more hours at least. 

“I get to keep you all night,” Donna seductively whispered in his ear to tease him.

His face immediately flushed bright red as a direct result. It was all very well her trying to torment him but they were in the home of her employer, and they’d already been caught snogging. Huffing out a breath, he adjusted his collar and offered, “Shall I make us all some tea?”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** here is the next part, at long last. I am so sorry for the delay. The end of this won't be too long now... hopefully.

How long should you wait before creeping upstairs? That was the main thought on John’s mind as he lay on Jocasta’s sofa in the dark. The cottage seemed to hold its breath in anticipation as he listened carefully for a positive sign.

Donna had whispered seductively to him, “See you later; in bed.”

Their good night kiss had been only brief because he had fully intended to take her up on the offer. That is he would, once he was certain Jocasta was asleep enough not to hear him sneaking up her creaky stairs to Donna’s bedroom. It had been bad enough being caught snogging like it was going out of fashion, without being lumbered with the possible embarrassment of something far more intimate being seen or heard.

Suddenly there was a faint but distant snore.

That was it! That was his cue to throw back his blanket, leap off the sofa and tip toe up the wooden set of stairs in little more than his underpants; since he’d kept his socks on in case it got too cold in the meantime. Cautiously he made his way upwards. The landing was a minefield of squeaky floorboards, but he reached his goal without too much noise.

As promised, Donna had left her bedroom door slightly ajar, and he peeped in. It was with relief that he saw her grinning back at him in the moonlight that streamed in through her partially closed curtains. How awful would it be if he had encountered Jocasta instead? It didn’t bear thinking about. 

That thought was easily dismissed as she playfully beckoned him forward by pulling the bed clothes aside in invitation and he shut the door behind him. They didn’t want to be interrupted again, and would get plenty of warning that someone was up and about.

Speaking no words, he climbed into the bed beside her and, after her initial wince that his body was freezing, due to his touch being far colder than her own, they instantly began to trade soft kisses that quickly became hungry as hands smoothed over bodies to caress with loving sweeps.

 

John woke at his usual early time, and peered over at Donna beside him with suppressed glee. They had gained two nights snuggled together in peace; well, as quietly as a creaky old bed would allow in the circumstances.

Sighing deeply, he swung his legs out and over the edge of the bed, placed a kiss on Donna’s cheek, fumbled under the covers to find his discarded underpants and made his way towards the bathroom. Alas it was time to go back to the farm and face the consequences of the previous evening. One night, he had silently begged, just one night to enjoy like a normal person. He’d gained that one night and he now had to pay the piper, as the old saying goes.

Fortunately he was unaware of being seen by Jocasta as he disappeared into her bathroom. Well, why spoil the view? He was an attractive young man with a well-toned body. And she rather liked the idea of her friends being in a secretive love affair. It gave her all sorts of ideas for her book. 

Looking around her bedroom to seek out a notebook, she quickly settled down to write herself some notes.

 

“Come on, buddy! Come and help me celebrate my new job,” Jack cajoled his friend some hours later on his mobile phone. “It will be just an afternoon thing with a few friends, not some madhouse party.”

“I don’t know, Jack,” John cautiously answered. “My uncle is supposed to be at the farm by now.”

“You’re worrying about that old stiff?” Jack indignantly queried. “John, just walk away from the place for five minutes and I’ll explain…” He then heard his friend gasp, so he asked, “Are you okay?”

“It’s Donna! She’s turned up here,” John breathed down the phone in excitement as he viewed the woman climbing out of her car. 

“Then bring her with you,” Jack offered, intrigued to find out why his friend was so excited.

“Okay. Got to go. See you at Martha’s,” John rapidly said as he sought to end the call and greet his girlfriend.

“Bye!” Jack called out, wanting to laugh at his friend’s eager tone. 

Donna sauntered over to John, grinning with delight at his gooey expression as he reached out to draw her nearer. “I thought I’d come and surprise you. Who was that on the phone?” 

He quickly signalled to Jez to leave Donna alone, but the dog excitedly bounced around her before she patted his head in greeting. 

Shaking his own head to clear his muddled thoughts, John managed to answer, “Jack. It was Jack inviting us over there this afternoon to celebrate his new job.” His arms wrapped themselves around her waist as she hugged him around the neck. “Never mind all that. To what do I owe the pleasure of you turning up out here in our field?”

“Me?” she couldn’t risk smirking, and lifted her chin to receive his welcoming kiss. “I thought I’d come and find you since you crept out without a word this morning.”

“You were sound asleep when I got up and I didn’t want to wake you. I left a kiss,” he supplied, dotting her face with his gloved fingertip. “I suppose I’d better get you into the warm.”

Keeping an arm around each other’s waists as they walked, they happily strolled towards the farmhouse.

 

Despite John warning Donna that his uncle and cousin were due to visit the farm again, they were surprised to see Roderick standing in the farmyard looking very pensive.

“What’s the problem?” John asked him once they had said their hellos. 

“I was beginning to wonder if you’ve been stood outside as a punishment,” Donna joked when Roderick scowled at them.

Looking down at himself in disgust, Roderick explained, “It certainly feels like it! No, I find myself in the unfortunate position of needing to view the farm but wearing inadequate clothing.”

Both John and Donna regarded Roderick’s favoured outfit of a black suit worn over a black polo neck jumper, and a black overcoat. 

“It’s not exactly the sort of thing you’d want to get covered in mud,” Donna sympathised.

“You could always borrow something of mine,” John quickly offered. “I have some spare jeans and that, if you’re interested.”

Trying not to sneer, Roderick gratefully replied, “No doubt you do. Yes, that would be very kind of you.”

“This way then,” John encouraged them to follow him up to his bedroom. 

Striding purposefully through the farmhouse towards the stairs, John called out a greeting towards his uncle as they passed him. The older family members were sitting drinking tea and feigning interest in a plate full of slices of cake.

“Hello, Mr Peterson, Mrs Smith, Mr Smith!” Donna added to it as they swept passed.

“Hello, my dear,” Donald cheerfully replied whilst merely nodding at John.

Verity huffed at her brother-in-law. “Is there a problem?” she wondered as the trio trooped up her stairs.

“No, Aunt Verity,” Roderick insisted from the top of the stairs.

“I’m just getting some clothing for our Ricky,” John continued as he stood beside him.

“Okay.” Verity smiled at them fondly. “No causing any trouble up there.” It gained her the delighted giggles she was hoping for. Now all she had to do was deal with the family fun bag known as Donald Peterson. 

 

Trying not to be affected by Donna’s amused face, John held up a pair of stonewashed jeans and a gamer’s t shirt against Roderick’s body for him to consider. “What do you think?”

Ignoring their knowing grins, Roderick forlornly looked at his reflection and the garments being offered. “I suppose these will do,” he sighed in resignation.

Leaving him to change his clothing, they made their way back downstairs. John’s parents and uncle regarded them with silent curiosity. It was then that a decision was made. 

“Sorry, we can’t stay long but we’ve been invited over to celebrate Jack getting a new job,” John explained as he hovered anxiously in the kitchen doorway, gripping Donna’s hand. He didn’t miss the look of contempt that his uncle shot in his direction.

Wanting to ease the situation, Donna put in, “I haven’t even met this bloke yet and I owe him a good slap.”

“Why on earth is that, pet?” Verity queried. “Did he say something saucy to you?”

“More like said something about me,” Donna supplied. “But I’ll make him regret it.”

Before she could say anymore, she found herself being propelled out of the door and towards John’s Land Rover.

“Bye everyone! See you later!” John called out with some relief as they left his parents with the Petersons.

The atmosphere within the kitchen remained dark and brewing with trouble.

“Out with it, Donald. Why do you dislike my John so much?” Verity demanded from him as he continued to sneer at her son, who was clearly visible through the window.

“I don’t…,” he started to deny, and thought better of it when his sister-in-law continued to glare at him. “Very well, I don’t like the boy and never have.”

“Why?! He hasn’t done anything wrong and has always treated you with respect as his uncle”

“Ah! That’s the point, isn’t it,” he explained. “He isn’t family. John is obviously no relation of mine.”

“Not family!” Verity blustered, throwing her hands up in disbelief. “How can you even think that? John and Ricky look so alike they were continuously mistaken for being twins when they were young.”

“It’s true,” Sydney said quietly to confirm the assumption when Donald searched the room for agreement.

“Verity, that is my very point,” Donald huffed indignantly. “Seeing them together is wrong. Can you not understand?”

“No. you’ve got me stumped, pet,” Verity retorted. “You’ll have to explain yourself.”

Lowering his voice, Donald confessed, “I know John isn’t a part of my family because I am not Roderick’s natural father. You may not know this but Cressida also underwent IVF treatment in order to have him. Whoever the donor was apparently also fathered your son; so they are half-brothers.”

“Why are you saying this?” Verity faintly wondered, clutching at her throat in self-comfort.

Seeing his wife act so upset goaded Sydney into piping up. “Yes, they are half-brothers. So what?”

“You knew?” Donald threw the accusation at him in great irritation.

“Oh yes, I knew,” Sydney admitted, “right from the very start.”

Verity eyed her husband with loving pride, but her brother-in-law could only feel anger.

“And you don’t mind that you aren’t John’s natural father?” Donald pressed further.

“There is so much more to fatherhood than biology, as you well know,” Sydney countered. “But for the record, the IVF treatment Verity underwent worked and we have a wonderful son. I have nothing to gripe about.”

“And why is that?” Donald almost spat at him. “He’s not even your real son?!”

Finally riled enough to shout back, Sydney cried, “That’s where you are wrong; _very_ wrong. I _AM_ his father!” Seeing Donald react with shock, Sydney continued to press the truth home. “Cressida asked me to be her donor. So there you have it; both John and Ricky are mine.”

“It was you!”

“Yes, me,” Sydney established in a much lower and calmer voice. “I’ve kept that secret for the past forty years, but God help me you’ve often made me want to claim Ricky as mine over that time, so that I could take him back.”

Donald spluttered indignantly, “I’ve been a good father.”

With a great deal of sadness, Sydney shook his head. “Have you really looked at him, Donald? At what you’ve made him become; by continually pushing him into being the man you wanted to be.” 

Upstairs, the eavesdropping Roderick could bear it no more. The shouting had caught his attention, stunning him as he hid half-dressed near the top step. His whole identity was in question, and he could lay most of the blame at the foot of the man who wasn’t even his real father. Pulling out his phone as he returned to the bedroom, he viewed a number he had often gazed at but had thought a weak gesture to actually use. 

He typed: “Hello John. Can we meet later? We need to talk. Ricky” 

Having sent his text message, he collected up his own clothing and slowly made his way back down into the farmhouse kitchen. It was time to meet his destiny.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** we _finally_ get to the meeting with Jack. I hope it doesn't disappoint you. And.... just a little reminder to let you know that I started this story well before Christmas, hence the mention of Christmas decorations. *coughs* Surely waiting four months is okay between friends?

It didn’t take too long to drive the relatively short distance to Martha’s home. It was an impressive five bedroomed detached property set in its own grounds; but then doctors do tend to earn a decent wage to pay for such a place in that area of the country. Pretty lights festooned the tree outside the house, and the whole effect was of an idealised Dickensian illustration.

“Wow! Look at that. Anyone would think it’s Christmas,” Donna joked to hide her nervousness.

John dutifully laughed. “Martha always did have excellent taste in everything. I bet the inside of the house looks even more festive.”

They both grinned at each other as John drew up the Land Rover, parked in a space outside and then peered at his phone. A frown appeared on his face.

“What’s the matter?” Donna immediately asked.

“I’ve just had a text message from our Ricky,” he pensively replied. “I wonder what he wants.”

“You to go and rescue him if he has any sense,” she joked. “His dad was on the war path again by the looks of things.”

“Is he often like that?” John wondered, since Donna had spent quite some time with them at work.

“And the rest!” Donna remarked. “”He is always on at Roderick for one thing or another. There’s just no pleasing him. Whatever Roddy achieves his dad says there’s always a better, more successful way he could have done it.” She then blushed in remembrance. “Yes, I did want to help him when I saw how upset that makes him. I even saw him cry once… God that was upsetting! Stupid me thought I was helping when all I did was feed his ambition.” 

“That’s all in the past now,” John said to soothe her, leaning over to grasp her hand, adding in a brief kiss on her lips.

“Yeah, we have a posh do to attend, by the looks of things,” she observed, pointing towards the house. “Will it matter that we’re only in jeans?”

“I doubt it,” he considered. “And it’s a bit late to worry now that we are here.”

Nevertheless, they didn’t feel it was too late to have a quick snog before going into the house. It worked the same as Dutch courage.

 

It didn’t take long for Roderick to make his way to the farmhouse kitchen and observe three of his closest relatives sitting at the table finishing off their tea. At any other time it would have been heartening; but he was full of anger and sadness at the perceived treachery he had overheard, and new-found regard for the unsung hero in their midst.

“Hello, pet,” Verity greeted Roderick when he appeared without his shoes, wearing jeans and a t shirt and carrying an armful of his stuff. She was doing her best to hide her shock at seeing him in anything other than his trademark clothing. But that wasn’t the only surprise with his appearance; he’d rearranged his hair from its usual style into something that was closer to how John normally wore his. “You look ready to give the farm a thorough inspection,” she commented as pleasantly as she could.

He crossed the kitchen to stand close by her side. “It’s different, I must admit,” he remarked and warily glanced at Donald. Placing his neat bundle of clothes carefully on the worktop nearby, he cleared his throat before announcing, “I heard your conversation.”

“Oh!” Verity gasped, and instantly reached out to touch his arm. “What exactly did you hear, pet?”

Anger flashed across his features but his demeanour stayed calm. “All the important bits, Aunt Verity.”

“Ah, Roderick my boy; there’s no need to be hasty,” Donald hurriedly consoled him. “It was unfortunate that you heard all that, but it needn’t change anything.”

“That’s true,” Sydney put in.

“Oh really?!” Roderick sneered at his ‘father’ whilst not wanting to alienate his biological father. “I’ve only just found out that the man I’ve been calling Dad all these years isn’t related to me at all! No need to get upset. What am I thinking? You’ve only been lying to me all my life. No, everything is fine thanks!” he practically hissed at Donald.

“Ricky, sit down, please,” Sydney quietly but firmly requested as Donald flailed in his seat.

Pouting at him, Roderick pulled out a chair and sat himself on the other side of his aunt to Donald. “Yes, let’s be civilised about this,” he fumed. Fortunately he visibly calmed as Verity reached over and took his hand in loving support. 

Two consoling smiles were shot in his direction, from the very people he wanted them from. 

Verity gently reminded him, “You still have your family, Ricky.”

“Yes, well,” he blustered; and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Feeling rebellious, he drew it out and viewed the two incoming messages. 

The first was from John: “Why not come to Martha’s with us too? The address is 3 Oak Tree Road. Otherwise I’ll see you later. John” 

The second was from Daisy: “Where are you? When will you be back? Missing you. Daisy ♥ ♥♥” 

He sighed as he read it. “Daisy is getting a little bit fractious,” he explained as he pocketed his phone.

“I really don’t know why you keep her. There are far better women out there that would suit your purposes,” Donald scorned him.

That was it! Roderick saw red, and he hauled himself up out of his chair to respond. Barely managing to hold in his blind fury, he nodded towards his aunt and uncle/father. “I hope you will excuse me but I won’t be walking around the farm this afternoon after all. We have to leave, _Dad_. Now!” 

“But Roderick, my boy,” Donald spluttered as Roderick strode away towards the main door.

“Either you come with me now or not at all. It’s up to you,” Roderick threw at him as he pulled on his shoes. “Aunt Verity, Uncle Sydney, I’ll be in touch very soon. I’m sorry about this but I have to go.”

“That’s okay, Ricky,” Verity softly answered, her heart aching for him and her arms desperate to hold him tight. “Any time you want to, we’ll be here.”

With one last look towards Sydney, who now stood regarding him with deep fondness, Roderick swept out of the farmhouse and barked an order at William to return them to the hotel.

“This really needn’t change our relationship,” Donald insisted as they rode towards their temporary home. “It’s a pure technicality.”

“Oh, I assure you, Dad, that it is far more than that,” Roderick stated without any warmth. “There’s the problem of truth, honesty, trust and deception. Plus, there is the little matter of you continually denying me access to John as I grew up.”

“He was no good for you!” Donald blazed. “All that talk of fantasy, impossible dreams and tolerance.” He even shuddered at the thought.

Roderick eyed him with distain. “Yes, how dare I condescend to dream. No wonder you wiped every speck of Mum from our home. Is that the true reason why you sent me away to school? Did I look too much like her for you to cope?”

“Don’t be daft, boy! I sent you to have a decent education because you obviously had a brain and could achieve great things,” Donald protested. “Not to have to end up in some back water or on the family farm.”

“And yet that’s exactly where you have encouraged me to go. How ironic,” Roderick commented as the car pulled into the hotel car park. “William, just drop Dad off here. We won’t be stopping.”

“What do you mean? Where are you going?” Donald grumbled at him. 

“I shall see you later,” Roderick merely answered enigmatically. “I have a spot of socialising to do. Goodbye.”

Donald stood stunned to see his son drive off without him, wondering what revenge, if any, Roderick was plotting. Part of him felt proud in that moment. The boy might be reaching his full potential after all. 

In the car, Roderick never even bothered to look back. Instead he dialled a now memorised number. “Hello Aunt Verity. Have you got time to talk? I have a few questions I need answering.”

 

The front door was opened by someone wearing a loud Christmas jumper and carrying a glass of amber liquid. “Can I help you?”

“Is this Martha’s? We were invited by Jack,” John queried.

“Oh yes! Come on in and help yourself to drinks. Food is in the kitchen,” the stranger welcomed them in to the open plan lounge.

There were quite a few casually dressed people chatting, drinking, and generally enjoying themselves as soft festive music played in the background. Their eye was caught by a woman dressed exquisitely in red clearly visible from across the room.

“Ah, there’s Martha,” John stated as he indicated his head towards the woman.

“That’s Martha?” Donna gasped in awe. “But you said…” She stood shaking her head.

“What? What’s the matter?” John queried. “I told you all about her.”

“You never said how beautiful she is!” Donna continued gawping at Martha.

John considered his friend. “She’s not bad looking, I suppose,” he allowed. 

“Not bad looking?!” Donna repeated in disbelief. “I can’t believe you didn’t point out the fact she’s stunning, like some beauty queen. You’d have to be blind and stupid not to fancy her.” 

“Then I’m blind and stupid,” he confessed without regret, “because I never did.”

It was no good; Donna couldn’t believe him saying that in the slightest. It must some sort of denial on his part because there was no way on God’s green earth that a living breathing male wouldn’t want the vision in front of them. Good grief, even Roderick had mentioned her within minutes of talking to John. 

Martha turned from the person she was talking to and spotted them making their way over to her at that point. With a delighted squeal, she ran towards them. “John! It’s so good to see you again!” she cried as she threw her arms around his shoulders to pull him into a hug.

Donna found herself standing there like a spare part as they hugged like crazy. No, she refused to be intimidated by this show of affection. 

“Jack’s around here somewhere,” Martha commented as she stepped away from John and glanced around the room. 

“You came!” boomed across the room, and then a handsome bloke rapidly raced towards them and engulfed John a massive hug. 

She tried not to, but Donna shifted uncomfortably. Of course John’s friends would be pleased to see him, she told herself, as she attempted to plaster on a welcoming smile should they look in her direction. “Don’t mind me, I’m just carrying his school books, apparently,” she joked to no one in particular. 

After some moments she was eventually noticed. Martha wondered, “Who is this with you, John?”

“I have someone you both _must_ meet,” John announced as he broke from the hug and finally turned his attention towards her. “This is Donna. I told you about her on Monday, Jack.”

“Hello!” chimed Martha in welcome.

Jack did a double take. “This is Donna! You’re not what I was expecting. Well hello,” Jack purred as he stretched out a hand towards the tall red head standing next to his friend. “We meet at last.”

“Oh yeah! And what exactly were you expecting?” Donna retorted, the threat in her voice all too evident. “Perhaps it was this...” 

And with that she slapped him good and hard.

BAM!

“What was that for?” he demanded as he nursed his throbbing cheek and a future bruise.

A stunned John and Martha stood motionless, both eager to see where this was going for different reasons.

“Why don’t you ask my agency, as apparently there has been a mix up?” She glared menacingly at him, feeling no remorse. “Accuse me of being a tart again and I’ll remind your face why I did it.” 

“Oh that,” he murmured in realisation. 

“Yes, that!” She continued to fume.

Jack complained to John, “You told her.”

What did he expect? “Of course I did, since you lead me to believe all sorts of things.” John didn’t want Jack to know that he’d put his foot right in it with Donna; nor did he want to divulge how they’d made up afterwards. 

“Now now, Doc. That was an honest mistake,” Jack tried to explain. “I said I had merely considered it; I thought I had forgotten to cancel the woman from the agency but when I got back here on Monday, Martha reminded me that I had.”

Martha’s face looked like thunder. “Jack! I thought we agreed it was a stupid idea and that John wouldn’t find it funny.”

“No I didn’t,” John grumbled in agreement. “Not in the least. Some friend you turned out to be. You owe me and Donna an apology.”

“Sorry. Sorry Donna.” Jack did his very best to look as apologetic as he could. “Let me start to make it up to you by getting you both a drink. I have some champagne on ice too somewhere, but that’s for later.” Having taken their drink requests, he hastily left them to it for the time being.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More migraines, more update delay. Sorry.

They hadn’t long received their drinks, and were stood chatting alone with one of Martha’s new friends, when a very familiar face greeted them.

“Ricky! I didn’t expect to see you here!” John exclaimed with joy when he spotted his cousin standing a few feet away, still clad in jeans and a t shirt. Of course a jacket had been added to the ensemble, but that didn’t matter. “Is there a problem?” he asked when Roderick’s expression didn’t change. “What’s happened?”

“John, we need to talk,” Roderick informed him. “Is there somewhere we can go?”

“Erm…” John cast his gaze about and chose the door that led out into Martha’s conservatory. “Let’s see if this is empty.”

Leading the way, John grasped the handle and cautiously turned it; half expecting to catch someone mid action. But fortunately no one had chosen to go out there. The cooler air hit them, but John was more worried about the stern expression on Roderick’s face.

“This is nice,” Roderick commented on the garden room as he shut the door behind them.

It was time to open the conversation, John decided. “Well? What’s on your mind?”

“There’s no easy way to say this,” admitted Roderick. “So I’m going to go straight for the truth. Were you aware that our mothers had to undergo IVF treatment?”

“No.” The word almost stuck in John’s throat. What did this mean? Being a test tube baby didn’t necessary mean it was bad news, he tried to convince himself. That’s if they were test tube babies…

“It turns out that Donald Peterson isn’t my biological father. Instead it is…” Roderick’s voice wavered for a second as he tried to hold on to his emotions.

“It’s,” encouraged John, dreading the reveal.

“It is the same as you: Sydney Smith.” Roderick waited for that little bombshell to land before continuing, “Hello, little brother. Well, half-brother to be more precise.”

“You’re my brother?!” John spluttered, shocked and pleased all in one go. “I’ve got a brother. A big brother.”

“Not too big,” Roderick pointed out in amusement; a shy smile playing about his lips. “It turns out that I was very premature, and I’m only eighteen days older than you.”

“But still,” John considered, “technically that’s an older brother. Oh man!” He grabbed Roderick into a massive hug. “My brother!”

“Hello brother!” Roderick cried, equally pleased with the way things were going as he hugged back with enthusiasm. 

“Is this a private party or can anyone join it?” Donna asked when she found them still clasped together some seconds later. She leaned against the doorjamb in anticipation.

Both men turned to her in glee. “This is a family celebration, but come in and hear the news,” John beckoned her forward.

Their excitement was infectious as they dragged her over to a wickerwork settee to tell their tale and share known snippets of information.

“But what does this mean for you both now?” Donna wondered.

“Well, I intend to supply John and his parents a comfortable home as soon as I can, and he is not going to bury himself in the farm like he has done so far,” Roderick proposed.

“Ricky! That is not…,” John started to protest, but Roderick held up his hand to stop the denial.

“It is true, John; and you are too intellectual to be wasting your precise time in mundane duties. That is why I am determined to set up a farm manager with someone to do the dirty work,” Roderick explained. “Of course, I won’t take away the important stuff from you, but it has to be a partnership that you can enjoy, whilst furthering your career elsewhere.”

“Then you’re not just kicking me out?”

“As if that was ever my intention!” Roderick declared. “No, I have plans to improve your life, not mess it up.”

The resultant embrace brought tears to Donna’s eyes as she watched them together. Who would ever have thought that this caring family man was hidden inside of Roderick Peterson? Certainly not her, that was for sure. 

 

The music being played pumped out a very enticing beat, and Donna found herself moving her body in time to it despite her best intentions to stand still. She had returned to the main room only to find John had gone off somewhere. The room was reasonably full of people she didn’t know dancing along; obviously Strictly Come Dancing was still having a major effect on everyone. And out from behind them all stepped Roderick.

Looking very pleased with himself, he smiled expectantly at her. “Dance with me, please Donna,” Roderick requested.

She frowned as all the reasons why she shouldn’t dance with him bombarded her thoughts. “I don’t think it would be wise,” she eventually replied.

“Oh come come,” he smoothly retorted, and swept her into his arms. “We’re practically family now. One day you will no doubt be my sister-in-law. There’s very little harm we can do by dancing together.”

Releasing her right hand momentarily from his grasp, she pushed his body slightly back from hers. “Nevertheless, there is still the possibility of dancing too close for comfort.”

All he did was smirk down at her and crush her body closer again. “Au contraire, comfort is my optimum goal.”

Not wanting to giggle, but doing so anyway, she allowed him the moment. Her senses went on alarm when he brought his lips next to her ear to intimately whisper, “What do you really think of my change of image?”

“Erm…” She raised her head, only to find herself almost nose tip to nose tip with him; and he had removed his glasses. With a gasp, she admitted, “You look identical to John, except for the hair.” It was all so confusing as her feelings for John swelled up and tried to overwhelm her reticence towards Roderick. “Roddy, Ricky, or whatever your name is; this is unfair of you.”

“What? You mean my taking advantage of your natural attraction for me?” he dismissed. “You can call me Roddy, if you like. I don’t mind. And the answer to your next question is: yes, I am very tempted.”

“Why?” she wondered before her brain could stop her.

“Oh Donna,” he breathily proclaimed. “I need you.”

“Ah! I’d forgotten about the job,” she stated in realisation. 

His mouth opened and shut for a few seconds. “Well… yes, I do need you to come and work for me again, but that isn’t the whole story.”

It was all she could do to keep in her disbelieving chuckle. “Don’t talk wet! It almost sounds as though you’re going to ask me to run off and elope with you to sunnier climes at this rate.” 

His gaze held hers, emotions whirling within his eyes, and then he dipped suggestively forward.

“Oh my gawd!” she exclaimed, as she dodged sideways and flung herself away from the kiss. “No, you are not doing this. You have someone and so do I. Okay, you might not care for Daisy very much beyond the odd bunk-up but I’m in love with John. I am taken.”

“You’re right,” he agreed contritely. “But let me proffer this before I let you go. Has he told you about Rose?”

“W-w-who?” she stuttered. 

In that moment she could have slapped the smug grin clean off his face.

“Thought so,” he trilled. “I’ll come and find you when he has.” Letting his hand release its hold of hers, he advised, “Go and find out before you make your mind up; for both your sakes.”

It really did hurt him to see Donna stumble away from his care, in so much personal pain; but it had to be done. As he had feared, John had not mentioned the woman, and that was dangerous, to all concerned. 

 

Where the bloody hell was he? It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the Earth. As she vainly sought John, Donna caught sight of Martha heading towards some important task in presumably the kitchen. In light of John having gone walkabout somewhere, and without conscious decision, she immediately followed on behind.

“Have you any idea where John has gone?” Donna asked with what she hopefully thought was a carefree manner. 

Now standing at a kitchen worktop and concentrating hard, Martha bustled about with practised efficiency. Barely lifting her head from assembling a healthy salad, she supplied, “I think he went off with Jack to see his new car. Boys and their toys, eh!”

A prominent question played on Donna’s mind but she bit down on it as she considered the best way to get the truth. Pleased that she now had cornered Martha in the kitchen, Donna sauntered closer and started to help by passing things and washing ingredients. “Martha, can I ask you a question?” Donna asked her as soon as she could. 

Martha finished chopping up extra cucumber to add to her salad presentation before wiping her hands clean and giving Donna her full attention. “Of course you can. What did you want to know?” To be honest, she was expecting to be asked where the spare toilet rolls or sanitary products were, or what to possibly buy John for Christmas. The question she received stunned her.

“Who is Rose?”

“Rose!” Martha echoed, fighting for extra time to answer. “She is… she was… Look, are you sure you want me to answer this question? Shouldn’t you be asking John instead?”

“I would have agreed with you about that before you totally tried to evade answering me,” Donna confessed. “So why _are_ you avoiding it?”

“It’s just…” Martha anxiously licked her lips. “There was this young blonde called Rose that hung around John when I first knew him. She followed him around all the time, hung on his every word, and if she could have done, she’d have hung on him constantly too. I never thought much of it at the time, to tell you the truth; I was too busy trying to catch his attention myself.”

“You had a thing for him,” Donna stated in understanding.

“I did,” Martha acknowledged. “Rose was nothing except irritating to me. Then she disappeared for a while, was gone for months; and I was relieved for a while. But when she came back, suddenly John and her were an item. In next to no time they were engaged.” She glanced towards the kitchen door as if expecting someone to be standing there. “Didn’t he tell you about her?” 

Fervently gesturing with her finger, Donna confessed that he didn’t. “He hasn’t said a word.”

“Then who did?” Martha queried.

“I did,” Roderick coolly admitted as he crossed the threshold into the room and picked up a bottle of whiskey to refresh the empty glass held in his hand. He offered the bottle towards them, but they both declined with a shake of their heads. “Hello, Martha. You of all people should be aware how inconvenient Rose can be in a possible relationship,” he remarked as he poured his drink.

An embarrassed flush appeared on Martha’s face but she forced herself to greet him civilly. “Hello, Ricky. Nice of you to remind me.”

“Am I interrupting a private fight?” Donna wondered as she stepped back a little. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Roderick reached out a hand to halt her progress, resting it on her waist. “There’s no need to worry, Donna. Martha and I have crossed swords many times in the past over trifling matters but we are capable of being friendly.”

“Speak for yourself,” Martha muttered in Donna’s direction. “I take it you two know each other quite well?”

Donna readily answered, “Yes, we do. I worked with him for over a year.”

“You have my sympathy,” Martha mumbled to Donna again. “So Ricky; why aren’t you here with your latest victim, I mean, girlfriend?” 

He sneered back at her and took a swig of his drink, baring his teeth as the alcohol hit his palate. “I left her enjoying the attractions of the spa adjacent to the hotel. Daisy is of a delicate disposition.”

“Who’s Daisy?” Martha asked of Donna.

It was with some bitterness that Donna replied, “Daisy Dyer, my job replacement.”

“Do you have to keep bringing that up?” Roderick demanded to know. “I’ve apologised to you for it.”

With a roll of her eyes, Donna bit back, “Are you sure you have?”

“I could have sworn I had,” he pondered. “Surely I have by now.”

There was a snort of disagreement. “No, not at all.”

“Weird,” he considered with a sniff. “How remiss of me.” 

Martha went to comment that with Ricky it wouldn’t merely be remiss, it’d be deliberate; but his phone went loudly off in his pocket, interrupting the thought in its tracks. Instead she was treated to the pantomime that began to play out before her.


	23. Chapter 23

Roderick’s look of sheer disgust as he viewed the caller ID made Martha want to giggle, and she barely held in her mirth when he practically threw the phone at Donna.

“It’s Daisy! Please tell her I can’t speak to her now,” he requested.

“What!” Donna protested as she grappled to catch his phone as it bounced off her fingers, and then pressed ‘receive’. “Hello Daisy... Yes it’s me... No, you haven’t rung the wrong number; this is definitely Roddy’s phone.” She paused to roll her eyes at Martha to convey her exasperation. “I’m answering because he is unavailable at the moment.... He can’t speak to you... I don’t know! You’ll have to ask him why... Look, it’s no good going off on one at me because it won’t make him want to talk to you any quicker.” 

‘Bloody well talk to her!’ Donna mouthed at Roderick.

He merely waved his hands at her in a shooing motion. ‘No, I am enjoying this too much,’ he mouthed back.

Now seething, Donna returned her attention to Daisy still ranting on the other end of the line. “Daisy, can I pass on a piece of advice to you? Put a new bloke on your Christmas list because the one you’ve got is faulty... Yes, I did mean that. Let’s face it, love; he could have been with you at this party but he isn’t, he’s with me.... Yes, I did say ‘party’. We’re at Martha’s.... Ooh, you’ve heard of her.” She took the chance to shoot Martha a look of conspiratorial glee. “I have to go now, can’t talk. Apparently I have men to ogle.... Yes and the same to you. Bye!”

“What was that about ogling men?” Martha wondered, trying not to laugh.

Donna smirked back at her. “According to the delightful Daisy that’s all I do. Who’d have thought? And as for you, Mister...” She handed Roderick back his phone, slamming it onto his palm. “Do your own dirty work in future. This is not Dumping Girls R Us!”

“Oh but Donna, you do it so well,” he crooned with delight. The whole phone call had been highly amusing from his standpoint.

“Just don’t,” she warned, stabbing a finger towards him.

But to her annoyance he carried on grinning. “Are you really saying that you didn’t enjoy saying that to her?”

“Well…” Donna had to concede that she had thoroughly enjoyed giving Daisy the flick. “Between us, I did; but don’t tell her that.”

“That’s fine with me,” Martha readily agreed. “All I want to know now is: why are you and Ricky so friendly? Is there something you should be telling me?” 

Roderick held his hands up in surrender as he gulped down his drink. “Nothing to tell; so I’ll leave you two ladies to it for a moment. Won’t be long.” 

Donna waited until he had sauntered off before firing _her_ question. “What’s the deal between you and Ricky? And don’t try to deny there isn’t.”

“I…” Martha really didn’t want to reveal this piece of information, but she’d already seen the sort of damage Donna could wreak upon someone. “I accidentally slept with him once,” she near whispered.

“Accidentally?! How the hell do you accidentally sleep with someone?” Donna demanded to know. “Was it a swingers party or something?”

“No! No, God no,” Martha hastily denied. “I was drunk.” When Donna looked sympathetic, she continued, “It was after a New Year’s party we all went to. John kissed me Happy New Year but I ended up in bed with Ricky when…”

“He took advantage,” Donna finished knowingly. “That explains a lot, to be honest; and why he finds you so memorable. Did John know?”

“Good God no,” Martha gasped with feelings of relief. “Ricky vowed it would remain between us; so you are not to say anything.”

“Cross my heart.” Donna dutifully dragged her finger over her chest in a cross shape. 

 

“There you are!” John cried out as he entered the kitchen and made straight for Donna. Almost bouncing in his excitement, he held up his hands apologetically, keeping them well away from her body. “Sorry about the oil but we were fine tuning Jack’s engine. You should see it,” he continued, with a happy grin. “It’s as sweet as a nut!”

“Did I hear my name being mentioned?” Jack asked as he too appeared, wiping his hands on a cloth. “Why, hi Ricky!” he greeted Roderick as soon as he saw him. 

“Hello Jack! Good to see you,” Roderick replied and held out his hand to shake.

Jack slightly bypassed that by grabbing hold of Roderick’s hand to use it as a means to pull him in closer, and then Jack gently cradled Roderick’s face as he planted a loving kiss smack on the lips.

The other onlookers merely giggled at the action whilst Donna gasped in surprise. She hadn’t expected that.

“That’s typical Jack,” Martha commented to Donna. “Put him down! You don’t know where he’s been,” she mock warned Jack.

The warning was in vain because Jack did not relinquish his hold for some seconds. “Let go of my only chance to snog a handsome man?! Are you mad?” A cheeky grin was aimed straight back at Martha.

“Yes… well…,” spluttered Roderick. With great care, he adjusted his sleeves and smoothed down his jacket. “I appreciate the compliment but I have other plans.” 

“On that note, we’d better be going. I have sheep to deal with before it gets dark,” John interjected. “Where exactly did you leave your car, Donna?”

“Just down the lane near where I met you,” she explained. Fortunately she was quite keen to get him on his own and find out some answers to her pressing questions. 

“Ah, that should be no problem. What about you, Ricky?” John turned his attention onto his brother. “Do you need a lift or is your driver coming to get you?”

“I’ll take up your offer, if I may,” Roderick replied, glad to extract himself from Jack’s attention. “No doubt I shall get the chance to see you two soon,” he aimed towards both Martha and Jack, “but if not, merry Christmas.” 

Having said their goodbyes, the trio were soon on their way in John’s Land Rover.

 

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” John commented to his passengers as he drove along. He then peered up at the sky despondently, “It looks like I’ve left it a bit late to leave. Donna, can I ask a favour? Would you give Ricky a lift back from the field? I need to see to the sheep.”

“It’s no problem,” she answered distractedly as she gazed out at the countryside whooshing by. 

“I could just as easily phone William,” Roderick offered from the back seat, noting her general lack of enthusiasm.

She turned to reassure him, “It really is no problem. I’m just a bit tired. Sorry.”

“So, what do we want to do this evening when I’m finished?” John threw out in an effort to brighten the general mood. “Any particular thoughts or plans?”

To his dismay, Donna shook her head and Roderick traded a sympathetic look with him via the rear view mirror. 

“There’s some paperwork to deal with after I’ve eaten with Dad and Daisy,” Roderick glumly admitted. “I have to return to London first thing in the morning. It can’t be avoided any longer.”

“Really?!” John exclaimed. “That’s a shame.”

Roderick reached over and placed his hand on John’s shoulder in consolation. “I’ll make sure I come back up before Christmas. I intend to have my final plans to show you within the next couple of days for your approval.”

Donna’s Peugeot loomed up in the ever growing darkness, so John drew his car to a halt. “Thanks, Ricky,” he gratefully replied. 

Casting his gaze between the two people sat in the front, Roderick diplomatically queried, “Have you got your car key, Donna? I’ll go and sit in your car while you say goodbye to John.” Having waited for her to search through her pocket and hand the key over, he clasped John’s shoulder. “Bye, brother! See you soon.”

“Bye Ricky!” John called out as Roderick stepped away and climbed into Donna’s car. He watched him in his mirror, waiting for the right moment to ask, “What’s the matter, Donna? You’ve hardly said a word to me since I found you in the kitchen.”

“Haven’t I? You’re probably right,” she conceded. “I’m not sulking about you buggering off and leaving me without a word, before you think it. Instead, I’ve been wondering if I got the wrong end of the stick about us.”

“What do you mean?” He frowned in confusion. “Not to sound rude but can we have the full-blown argument about this later, once I’ve dealt with the sheep?”

“Fine,” she retorted, and opened the passenger door to climb out. “I’ll book that into your diary. How long should I allow? Five minutes or the full half hour?”

He smiled despite himself as she scrambled out. “As long as you want me for. But honestly, Donna; what is this about?”

She regarded him with sadness. “Best get to your sheep, and I’ll talk to you later,” she stated. “I just wanted to know why you couldn’t tell me you’ve been engaged. Bye!” And she shut the door before he could stammer out a word.

Sitting in Donna’s car, Roderick saw her stomp towards him and John slowly drive away. Not much had been resolved then. “Do you want me to drive?” he suggested when she sat inside. 

“No, I’m fine,” she insisted, and then immediately stalled the car, swearing at it loudly. 

“Then how about I come back to Jocasta’s with you rather than you drive alone?” he proposed. “I can easily get William to pick me up from there.”

“You don’t have to,” she countered, trying to hold back her tears.

Needing to offer her some comfort, he placed his right hand over her left one on the steering wheel. “I want to. I don’t like the idea of you driving alone when you are upset.”

The car started with no problem on the second attempt, so she pulled away. Roderick’s voice had been so gentle, his demeanour so caring, that Donna easily agreed that him staying with her was a good idea. “And I suppose you should talk to Jocasta while you’ve got the chance,” she added with a sniff.

“I should,” he decided with a nod. “Ghosts from the past need to be laid once and for all.”

“Are you saying you don’t love her anymore?” Donna queried. “But I thought…”

“Do we ever lose the person we first fall in love with? In a way we don’t,” he pondered. “But I fear I was in love with a dream, an ideal, if you will.”

“Or perhaps all you need to do is fan the flames of your first love.”

He laughed then with delight; a light, hearty laugh that she had only heard once before. “You are a romantic under all that bluff,” he teased. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Ah, you say that now,” she countered, “but you’ll change your tune when you properly fall in love.”

“Like you have, with John,” he softly spoke, adding in a brief tender touch to her cheek. “You’re one of the lucky ones. I hope you realise that.”

“Lucky!” she snorted in disbelief. “Is that what this is? No, you are well out of it, mate.”

“Donna, for the record, I wish I had tried harder with you when you gave me the chance; but I was a complete idiot, as usual. Dad wanted…” He sighed deeply. “It doesn’t matter what he wanted anymore.”

“Roddy, you don’t have to tell me this,” she sympathised as they arrived outside the cottage that was her latest home.

“I know, but I want to clear the air between us, get it all out in the open.” Then he frantically ran his fingers through his hair. “A lot has happened to me this weekend; there’s so much to consider. I’ve done things I’m ashamed of, but it’s too late to change them.”

“Don’t Roddy,” she kindly tried to halt him.

“I have to say this! Please listen,” he begged. “Despite me fighting it all this time, denying it and pushing you away, the fact is… I love you Donna. Please don’t cry,” he cooed, wiping away a tear for her with his thumb. “I won’t act on it; I’ll stop being a prat from now on, I promise. Truthfully, I don’t deserve you. John does. When I found out today that he is my brother it was my boyhood dream come true.” 

“You bastard,” she grumbled.


	24. Chapter 24

“Why am I a bastard?” Roderick wondered with some amusement, chuckling fondly.

“Because you aren’t supposed to be nice enough for me to like you,” Donna complained. “You should stay horrible and creepy.”

“What’s a man to do?” he smirked, gaining the small smile from her he was hoping for. “You make me a better man.”

She winced as though in pain. “You mean you are too cheesy for your own good; you’ll be bursting into a Disney song soon. Just get in the house!” 

“Don’t you mean ‘cottage’?” he couldn’t resist correcting. “I promised I’d be good,” he added when she inevitably glared at him. As it was, he didn’t need to see her exasperated expression as they got out of the car and made their way to Jocasta’s front door.

“Jocasta, I’ve got Roderick with me,” Donna called out in apology as she let them both in. She would have said more when Jocasta stood up in shock but the phone in her hand rang. “It’s John!” she squealed with excitement. “I’ve got to take this, sorry,” she threw over her shoulder as she raced up the wooden flight of stairs.

“Hang on, I’m almost there,” she gasped down the phone as she ran across the landing.

There was the loud sound of a bedroom door being shut and she momentarily sighed with relief.

“Okay, I’m back, and in my room away from prying ears. I’ll try to start this again,” she said into the microphone, hoping against hope that he was still on the other end. “Hello John.”

Standing patiently in a field, John could only wait to find out what was going on. “Hello Donna.” His bewilderment was all too evident. “You booked a row so I suppose we need to talk.”

“Before you go any further, I want you to know that I’m sorry for being a moody cow earlier. I’d had Martha go all Secret Squirrel on me, and then Roderick really riled me by making me take a call from Daisy. All she did was whinge at me as though it was my fault,” she hurriedly told him. “Look, it’s none of my business if you’ve been engaged. You could have been married to King Kong for all the difference it’d make to me; although it would explain your current interest… But that’s another matter. The fact is I took it out on you, and I’m sorry.”

There was merely the background sound of windy weather for a few seconds, and then came John’s pained and gentle voice. “Shame; I had got myself ready for a full-blown argument. The thing is, I didn’t bring it up because it _hurts_ to go through that again. I assume Martha told you something about it, but I want to explain about the engagement.”

“You don’t have to,” Donna insisted. “It can wait.”

John rested his bottom against a low dry stone wall, trying to turn his body away from the raw cold winds. “If I don’t do this now I might never say it. I loved her; for her beauty, charm and liveliness. We had this massive fall out because I told her I found her stifling at times. Rose went off in a huff, and when she came back she told me she was pregnant. What else was I supposed to do?” He heard the sympathetic intake of breath, and carried on. “I thought I was doing the right thing by proposing, had even looked forward to being a father.”

“What went wrong?” Donna softly enquired.

He gave a wry laugh. “Jack told me I was an idiot, and Ricky said that she was lying and he’d find out the truth. Well, he did something alright!” Tears of remembrance froze on his cheeks. “I went to our…her flat, and I found them, Donna. They’d obviously been in bed together, and she tried telling me the pregnancy had been a false alarm, that Ricky had seduced her, that she didn’t know what she wanted anymore.”

“Oh John!”

“I couldn’t look at her, or at him, so I left. I went straight to Martha’s and stayed there for a while. Then Dad got ill soon after and I had to come home, so it was a blessing really that it hadn’t worked,” he sadly commented. “So there you have it.”

“I’m glad you could tell me,” Donna slowly spoke, gulping down her tears for him. “None of it was your fault. As for Roderick…” No, it best that she kept schtum about him for the moment, so she left the thought hanging. “Is there any chance we can meet up tonight? I ought to tell you that Roderick is here. I’ve left him downstairs with Jocasta.”

“Is that wise?” he wondered.

“I dunno, but they need closure with each other, and it seemed an ideal opportunity,” she defended herself. “Then again, I might end up bashing him after the little trick he pulled on me. You never know.” 

“What little trick?”

“I’ll tell you later when I see you. Please say I will,” she begged.

A sheep let out a plaintive cry near him.

“I’ll see what I can do but I have to go,” he ended the call by saying; leaving her standing bereft holding onto her phone for comfort.

“My mouth needs a warning sticker on it,” she scolded herself.

With a deep sigh, she made her way to the bathroom to wash the tears from her face.

 

“Sit yourself down, Peterson,” Jocasta welcomed Roderick properly into her home by indicating towards a chair. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Please call me Roderick, or Roddy,” he answered as sweetly as he could and sat himself down. Trying to ignore the slam of a door from upstairs, he ventured, “I’d love a whiskey if you’ve got one.”

“Of course,” she allowed, and bustled about to find a suitable crystal tumbler before pouring out a rather generous serving of a single malt. “There you go.” She handed over the glass, taking care to avoid contact with his fingers.

“Thanks.” It’s peaty golden goodness hit his palate before adding warmth to his stomach. “Ooh, that’s good.” It also added to the faint blur around the edges of his vision. Perhaps he should have eaten something since pushing away his breakfast that morning. 

“Did you have a pleasant time at Martha’s?” Jocasta politely inquired. The truth was, she didn’t know quite what to say to him after all this time. He was a fully grown man who seemed to have a quiet threatening quality whereas in her memories he had remained a lad with boyish enthusiasm. 

“As pleasant as could be expected,” he enigmatically replied, and took another sip of his drink, rolling the glass carefully around in his hand as he examined the play of light upon its contents. “No doubt Donna is showing John all the warmth he deserves at this very moment.”

“Do you not care for John?” Jocasta pondered, since his tone was ambiguous.

“Care?” he repeated, holding her gaze intently. “I would do anything within my power to ensure his happiness. But I assume that is not the reason why I have been allowed to sit here.”

“What are you implying?!” she indignantly protested. “I assure you that I have no agenda.”

“Evidently not,” he agreed, taking a gulp and then setting his drink down in order to lean towards her. “But Donna does, if I am reading this correctly. She always did have this need to fix things and mend people. It is one of her finer qualities.”

“And who exactly is she mending here?” Jocasta wanted to know.

“You,” he said with a sniff, and sat back against the cushions of his seat triumphantly. “Me; the both of us. That elusive thing called closure,” he added with a sneer. 

“I have nothing I need to say to you,” she stated.

He nodded as he took another sip. “As do I you. It was an unfortunate incident that we were punished for, and then life moved on. Assuming, of course, that you were equally punished.”

“I was sent away from my home, to somewhere I could not be a bad influence and have such dangerous ideas,” she retorted. “I have you to thank for meeting my husband.”

His head was hung low so she couldn’t see his expression, but his tone was regretful. “Then some good came of it.”

“Did you find love, Pe-Roderick?” she asked.

“I’ve come close,” he admitted, raising his head, “but I’m too selfish to allow that.” 

He drained his glass, so Jocasta jumped up to replenish it. Anything else they might have said was halted by the appearance of Donna as she slowly made her way down the staircase. “You two are quiet,” she commented as she entered the lounge properly, and then she noticed Roderick taking a large swig of whiskey. “How many of those have you had today?”

“Enough,” he cheerily informed her; and then did a rare thing. He smiled a huge genuinely warm smile in her direction. “Perhaps too many, but I wasn’t counting. I only have dinner back at the hotel to look forward to with the whinging lights of my life.” He lifted a hand to wave her over, and patted the empty seat beside him. “Come and sit down for a moment,” he slurred. “Take the weight off those lovely legs of yours.”

“Yes, well,” Jocasta blustered as Donna sat herself down cautiously at the furthest possible point away from Roderick. “How did your phone call to John go? You look a little upset.”

“To be honest, I am,” she reluctantly supplied, and glanced towards Roderick who was still smiling. “Talking of honesty, isn’t there something you wanted to say, Roderick?”

“Roddy. I told you before, you can call me Roddy,” he declared, slapping playfully at her knee. “What was it you wanted me to say?”

“A little something about true love,” she hinted, indicating her head towards Jocasta.

“Ah, love,” he pondered. “What you have with John is true love, unlike that filly he was enamoured with at one time. But I soon dealt with that,” he turned his head to tell Jocasta.

“What do you mean?” Donna inevitably asked before she could stop the words on her tongue. “What did you do?”

Roderick giggled like a naughty schoolboy. “Well, I suspected her of conning John. It wouldn’t be the first time a fake pregnancy had been used to catch a decent man. So I tested her.” 

“That’s terrible,” Donna gasped. “So why did you go after her?”

“Bed her, you mean?” he prodded, with a proud gleam in his eyes. “Seemed perfectly logical to me, since John wouldn’t believe me when I honestly tried to tell him that she’d flirted with me on several occasions, and she wasn’t exactly unattractive.”

“I think you’ve said enough,” Jocasta warned him, and tried to take away his glass; but he fought off her good intentions.

“No, Donna has to hear this,” he drunkenly argued. “I offered to pay her to lie to John about her pregnancy because I seriously doubted it was his. It was all too convenient, if you ask me. Would you believe she took the money? I still can’t get over that.” 

“That child might have been his!” Donna spat at him. “You had no right to do that!”

He merely waved his index finger at her in answer. “True, it could have been. That is why I returned months later to see. And guess what! No baby. If there had been I’d have taken John there myself, but she claimed she’d got her dates wrong. I saved him a shotgun wedding all right!”

“It doesn’t mean you were in the right, Roddy!” Donna loudly complained. “You manipulated them. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you had blackmailed Jack at some point in the past too.”

His countenance turned to thunder. “Why are you dragging Jack into this?”

Oooh, she had hit a nerve. Could she gain a different type of confession out of him? “Perhaps I was wondering why you were rather… what’s the word I want here… _generous_ towards him earlier compared to how you were with Martha.”

“Nothing to tell,” Roderick mumbled into his glass. 

“Depends how it felt on the other end of that kiss,” she pressed, feeling as though she had him on the run now. “Do you actually have feelings for him?”

“I might have helped to sway matters in his favour,” Roderick allowed, suddenly going coy.

“Then that means the rumour about you and Finch was true,” Jocasta suddenly proclaimed.


	25. Chapter 25

  
  
gif by [lecompanion](http://lecompanion.tumblr.com/post/68397206109)   


“Finchie and I didn’t lock ourselves in… Now that was an out and out lie,” Roderick angrily insisted, waving his hand about again. “I was faithful to _you_ , despite what was said.” He then wailed plaintively, “Why couldn’t we stay as we were? They broke my heart by taking you away from me. I loved you for such a long time.” Gulping in a lungful of air, he suddenly went green around the gills, and faintly added, “And I really shouldn’t have had that last drink.”

It was then that he pitched dramatically sideways, landing face down into the cushion to the side of Donna, narrowly missing embarrassing her by doing more than lying bodily across her lap.

“I’ll get him some water,” Jocasta decided, and made a hasty dash for the kitchen while Donna tried to get him to sit back up.

“Get off me!” Alas, he didn’t comply at all, despite her fervent shoving, so she eventually squeezed out from underneath him, and then knelt by the edge of the sofa. “Shall I phone William to come and get you? Oh gawd! This is just what I needed. Where’s your bloody phone?” 

Her hands sought through his nearest jacket pocket to look for it, but he made her jump by grabbing her hand. “Don’t Donna. God, I feel terrible. Just leave me here,” he begged.

“I can’t. You need to get back to the hotel,” she argued.

But he beseeched her quietly, “Please don’t send me back like this. Dad doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t know what?”

He used her hand to draw her nearer to whisper, “If he finds out about Jack, about the kiss, he’ll beat me again. He hates it when I’m not manly enough; he’ll go ballistic. Please! I’ll do anything, but don’t let him see me drunk like this.” 

“Did you say he’d beat you?!” she tried to clarify, but he was slipping into a drunken slumber whilst using her hand like some sort of anchor.

“He won’t do it if you’re there; wouldn’t dare,” he mumbled. “You keep me safe.”

“What was all that about?” Jocasta asked as she reappeared with a glass of water and heard his last words.

They both peered in puzzlement at the now sleeping man on her sofa.

Going on more than a hunch, Donna proposed, “Let me just check something first.”

With great care, she lifted up both his jacket and the hem of his t shirt as he remained lying face down, to reveal his back. Between his shoulder blades, in a crisscross pattern, were the faint scars of an old attack.

“He’s been beaten by someone,” Jocasta cried out. “Whoever would have done such a thing?”

Swallowing down her fear, Donna explained, “I think it might have been his dad. It makes sense now, how he would do almost anything to keep me there when his dad was in the office, making up all sorts of demands. I thought he was merely being a prat.”

“You weren’t to know.” Jocasta placed a consoling hand on Donna’s shoulder. “Why don’t we let him stay there for the night? I’ll go and get him a blanket.”

“Okay,” Donna agreed, keeping hold of his hand as Jocasta bustled off. “And to think I didn’t consider you could surprise me any more than you do,” she commented to the oblivious Roderick before her. “You really are a bastard, you know, despite making me feel sorry for you. I was going to thump you good and hard for all that loving crap you tried out on me, you git. Who knows, perhaps you’d enjoy it after everything else that has happened to you. Does that make you a sadist or a masochist? I can never remember. Oh well. At least life isn’t dull around you.”

When Jocasta came back some moments later, they tucked some blankets around him, left a large glass of water by his side, and a bowl placed conveniently close by just in case. 

“Shall we have an early night?” Jocasta suggested to her pensive friend.

It was a no-brainer to agree with her. Donna was looking forward to her bed for entirely different reasons to the evening before. Her only regret was that John hadn’t turned up to share it with her. Once she was alone, she tried to call him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. “Hello John. It’s me, Donna. Can you give me a bell when you get this message? Things went a bit strange here after I spoke to you. I er, I miss you. Goodnight.”

A few minutes later her phone did ring, but it was a number she didn’t recognise.

“Hello?” she cautiously answered.

“Hello Ms Noble. It’s William here,” the voice on the other end of the line declared. “Sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, but would you happen to know the whereabouts of Mr Roderick?”

“Yes I do. He’s sound asleep on our sofa,” she readily informed him. “Can you collect him first thing in the morning?”

“Ah, thank you, miss.” William sounded rather relieved. “I shall be there at first light. Good night.”

Donna bade him goodbye and wasn’t exactly surprised when Jocasta burst into her room. “Who was that, dear?”

“William. He’s coming for Roderick early in the morning.”

“No John?” Jocasta looked expectantly at Donna’s phone. 

“He’s probably forgotten to recharge his phone, or left it in the Land Rover,” she tried reasoning, but it didn’t sound true even to her own ears. “Men, eh? Good night!”

 

It hadn’t been long since she had lain down and drifted off into a light sleep when her phone bleeped out that she had a text message. Jumping awake, she grabbed it off her bedside table and read: “Is it too late to see you?”

“Oh John!” she gasped out in joy; and then hurriedly rang him back. “Hello. I’m in bed but you can come over.”

“Good! Because I’m outside,” he admitted in a low voice. “I couldn’t wait.”

Smiling with delight, she told him, “Hang on a tick. I’ll be right down to let you in, but we’ll have to be quiet.”

Foregoing the need to don a dressing gown, she practically flew down the stairs and opened the front door. There John stood in the low evening light with his wellies already removed and in his hands. She beckoned him in whilst grasping his wrist possessively in a manner that didn’t allow for anything else. 

“Take no notice of the Living Dead over there,” she whispered as she gestured for him to follow her through the living room and then back up the stairs; although she did falter for a moment in order to check Roderick was still breathing. 

All that broke the silence was the creaking floorboards that were determined to flag their creeping about and their resultant giggles as they tried to avoid the worst offenders. Eventually they made it into Donna’s bedroom and could shut the door on the rest of the cottage.

“Sorry,” he began to whisper his apology, but before he could get even a whole word out she launched herself on him.

“Where were you?” she wondered between ardent kisses, hardly giving him a chance to breathe.

“A sheep. I was dealing with a sheep,” he explained in small bursts. “She gave birth far too early. It had already died; the lamb, I mean. It was like a porcelain figurine.”

“The poor thing!” she sympathised. “You must be upset.” Then an unpleasant thought struck her. “I hope you washed your hands before you touched me.”

“Of course I did! I had a shower and everything,” he indignantly retorted. “What do you take me for?”

“Well, you never know,” she pondered. Hands pushed off his coat, jacket, shirt, trousers, and everything else as they traded more hungry kisses. “But for what it’s worth, I’d be very willing to take you,” she continued seductively.

“So you want to take me?” he playfully enquired. 

She could almost hear his left eyebrow rising in query. “Want almost covers it.”

Everything item of clothing was dumped in an untidy pile by the bed in their hurry to get to each other. “How else should I cover you?” he wondered.

“Ooh, let me think,” she added, giving a nip to his neck. His long, enticing neck that always made her want to lick the vulnerable flesh there. “Or have you come up with anything yet?”

“Something’s pending,” he saucily stated. 

“There always is.”

Then the biting coldness of the room forced them to scurry to hide beneath the bedcovers before their ardour could be completely dampened. Using fervent kisses, she did her best to console him after all his efforts, wanting to show that her love was unconditional and that she could take his mind off his worries. 

It worked, because all he could think of was the woman beneath him as their kisses deepened again and they undulated together. His hands sought out tender flesh to knead and caress as her scent filled his senses. Would he ever get his fill of her? All he wanted to do was love her with his very being, please her with his touch; join them forever. 

With a silent cry he united them in a passionate embrace. ‘Marry me,’ whispered through his mind as their position changed, just enough to create joy in its wake once they had reached their peak. Had he actually said the words at the height of passion? He neither knew nor cared; he would say them for real in the near future. “Love you,” he panted out to join her sweet whispered words.

“Please stay with me in the morning.”

“I’ll stay as long as I can,” he promised, “but the sheep need me.”

She nodded her head in understanding. While the farm existed he would always put duty first. So she cuddled into him for as long as she could. Who know when this would all be taken away?

 

What the hell was going on? Who was flashing a light in his eyes? Trying to stop the onslaught, Roderick turned his head and found himself wedged up against a large piece of wood. Forcing his eyelids open he saw, if he wasn’t much mistaken, a mahogany bedstead. Since when did he own a wooden bedframe? Or lilac bedcovers? Or even more puzzling, where had the teddy bear alarm clock come from? Its smug little face judged him as the room swayed about. 

Feeling frustrated that he didn’t know where the hell he was, but expecting some one night stand, again, he dragged his body into a seated position on the unfamiliar bed so that the glare was taken out of his face. Three feet away from him was a matching mahogany dressing table, and displayed on it was a photograph of someone he could just about make out. Squinting desperately, he peered at it and then gasped in shock. The photo was of Jocasta Pembery. 

Did this mean he had done the deed with her?! “What the hell have I done?” he loudly wondered, combing his fingers through his hair. 

“Which bit of arse-holey behaviour shall I start with?” someone familiar asked.

He jerked his head in the direction of Donna’s voice and could just about determine her figure standing in the doorway. “How bad is it? Did we…?” he pondered as he gestured between them with his index finger. 

With a shake of her head, she informed him, “No, we didn’t! Ooh, where shall I start?” She then sauntered nearer. “You got so drunk we were treated to Confessions of a Sexist Pig. We certainly know what you got up to with Rose now, and Jack.”

“Jack!” He visibly paled in horror. “Look, nobody needs to know anything. I acted for the best where Rose was concerned, I don’t want to jeopardise your… Are you laughing at me?!”

“As if I would. If you want to go around hiding your bisexuality then that is up to you. I won’t say a word,” she promised. “Rose, on the other hand, is an event I think you ought to tell John about.” 

“Oh I don’t think so,” he hastily disagreed. “It’s taken me years to get him to forgive me as it is. I wouldn’t like to jeopardise our truce.”

That got her goat! “Then how do you explain all that love stuff you spouted at me?”

“I did what?!”


	26. Chapter 26

“You went on and on about how you love me so much you’d go to the ends of the Earth and back again,” Donna lied.

Roderick raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Are you sure it was me, and not perhaps John?” he smoothly disagreed. “That really isn’t my style.”

“It is when you’re drunk,” she countered. “And by the sound of it I’m the only one that hasn’t been added to your list of women you’ve slept with.” She pretended to think for a few seconds, making a show of it. “I’m amazingly okay about that, by the way. Relieved, almost.” 

“Ha bloody ha,” he griped. “You’re over me; I get the picture, Donna.”

“Finally!” she praised. “Hallelujah! Talking of pictures, it’s a terrible shame I didn’t take a picture of you as you laid comatose on the sofa. But I did find a hunky man to help you up the stairs at 4am.”

“Who…?” His face was a study in confusion, his lips moving as each question occurred to him. “A man? What man? I don’t remember that.”

Should she tell, or should she keep him guessing? Donna couldn’t keep the smirk from her face. 

“Did this same man remove my clothing?” Roderick wondered; half hoping it was true. As it was, he couldn’t fail to notice that John’s jeans and his jacket, plus of course his socks, had been removed. “I’m terribly sorry for turfing you out of your bed.”

“No problem,” she trilled. “It’s not my bed; it’s Jocasta’s. That’s another old fantasy of yours to tick off the list.”

Inevitably he scowled. “You are enjoying my predicament far too much.”

“Oh I’m sure I could try harder,” she retorted. “Just give me a minute or two.” Slowly backing away from the bed, she informed him, “William will be here soon to pick you up, so you’d better get your arse in gear pronto. There’s tea and toast waiting in the kitchen for you. And while I’m throwing advice in your direction, I think you’d better replace John’s stuff with completely new bits when you get home to London.”

Why did she amuse him so? He wished he knew, but he loved her for it. “I’ll be down shortly. Unless you had a particular need to see me get dressed?” he teased as she disappeared through the doorway.

“Nah mate! I had the joy of seeing you stripped so I’ve had my quota of excitement for the day.”

Hearing her descend the staircase, he allowed himself to chuckle before regret hit him. Why had he been so mean to her? All she’d done was support and entertain him, even now. Pulling on the nearby jeans, he quietly resolved to try his hardest to make it up to her for every slight he had ever thrown her way. He would be the best potential brother-in-law ever. 

 

William had turned up on the doorstep ten minutes later, suggesting that Mr Roderick hurry up as they had a long journey back. Roderick gulped down his slice of toast and cup of tea before turning his grateful attention to both Jocasta and Donna. Giving them each a brief hug, he proclaimed, “I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality and kindness. It has been a delightful experience.”

Donna saw him to the door. “Have a safe journey, Roddy,” she said, giving the rear seat of his car a sympathetic glance. Mr Peterson glared out of the window, looking most displeased. 

He followed her gaze. “Fortunately I have some paperwork that needs re-reading,” he whispered conspiratorially. “It is going to be a long journey.”

“Bye then! Have fun,” she went to call out, only to find herself being engulfed by a sincere hug and a kiss planted on her cheek. It shook her quite a bit, to be honest. 

“Until next time,” he concluded as he released his hold and strode confidently towards the waiting car. 

With a small wave he was gone, and Donna could breathe a sigh of relief. Turning in the entranceway, she headed back towards normality and work, whilst wondering what the aftermath of the long weekend would be.

 

It was with excitement that Donna sat down at her computer terminal. Today was the start of a completely new Jocasta Newberry book, and she could hardly wait to get started. Flexing her fingers, she donned the audio headset and began to type the first draft of the first page.

“Clouds of the West Wind,” she heard Jocasta’s voice clearly say. “Chapter one. The darkness of the sky seemed to thin itself out as she sat,” Jocasta continued the opening of her tale. 

All was going well as Donna typed, happily anticipating the next section, right up to the point that the heroine was described. It was then that she flinched and went in search of Jocasta herself.

“What is it, dear?” Jocasta asked from her comfy seat in her armchair, her reading glasses held halfway to her eyes. “You look perplexed.”

“Don’t try and tell me that Dora having long, wavy, ginger hair is a pure coincidence, because I won’t believe you.”

“Ah,” Jocasta muttered in understanding. “Well, you _did_ say I could use you as a source. Whereabouts have you got up to?”

“I may have done, since I couldn’t stop you, but this is a whole alternate universe of my life,” Donna complained. “So far Dora the Explorer has looked at the sky, moped about for a bit, gone on about her village and then ridden in a horse drawn carriage to her new employment at the big house, leaving behind her poor widowed mother. No doubt any moment now she will get to meet the love interest.” She waited for a faint confirming nod. “Come on then, what’s John’s name in this romantic tale and who is he exactly?”

“George Armstrong-Jones, gentleman farmer,” Jocasta defiantly supplied, “son of Sir Stanley Armstrong-Jones, and younger brother to the scoundrel Richard Armstrong-Jones who jilted Dora at the altar.”

Donna raised an eyebrow in interest. “Hmm. I must admit that I’m intrigued now and want to find out how else you’ve nicked my life.”

“It is merely artistic licence,” Jocasta defended herself. “All writers do it to some degree.”

“I’m sure they do,” Donna agreed. “And is it likely to be another bodice ripper, like the one we’ve just delivered? Because I’m expecting it to be.”

Jocasta smiled with pleasure. “It is my trademark genre. Do you want to see the costume I envisage you in?”

“Oooh, yes please!” Donna squealed with excitement. “Just don’t make it pink. It’d clash with my hair something chronic.”

She was led to Jocasta's reference folder, where several sheets of paper were pulled. “This is you, dear,” Jocasta informed her, pointing to a low cut mid brown empress line dress with an inset white bodice.

“It’s very... revealing,” Donna remarked as she viewed it with some admiration, and envy. It wasn’t as if she felt she could get away with such an outfit. “What about this George? What does he wear?” 

There was more fumbling in the folder, then Jocasta produced another set of photos. “I was thinking of this.”

A few pictures of Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark were handed over for Donna to peruse. “Now that I like!” she exclaimed. “The high winged collar and cravat are a good look together. Very handsome.”

“I thought so.” Jocasta visibly preened. “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

“No, I don’t think so; so I’ll get back to my typing right away. We can’t delay Dora meeting gorgeous George, can we?” Using a happy skip, Donna made her way back to her desk and returned to work, hungry to know how her personal story had been changed.

 

When her phone rang lunchtime she was in a good mood.

“Hello John. How’s your day going? Did you manage to grab any sleep?”

“I’m er having a few problems, to be honest,” he admitted in a despondent tone.

“Why’s that? I don’t like the sound of that. Won’t I see you later?”

“Probably not. I clean forgot that I’ve been invited for Christmas drinks with the faculty tonight.”

“Oh dear! Will it be that bad for you?”

“No, that isn’t it. I... I came back to see you this morning”

“Why didn't you come in?”

“I saw you, with our Ricky, on the doorstep...”

“And?”

“You looked rather friendly. Too friendly”

“Don’t talk wet!” she protested. “He was just trying to be sweet, that’s all.”

“Donna, I know what I saw!”

“Where’s all this coming from? I told you, I’m over him. There really is nothing to worry about. Why would I want him when I can have you?” she argued.

“Because...” The hurt words stuck in his throat. 

“John,” she began to reassure him, speaking softly, “I am not some little girl who wants to manipulate you. If I still felt that way about him I would have told you long before now. Instead, there’s this sexy farmer that has caught my eye, who visits me to hold me in the night and is really good in bed. Why on Earth would I give him up?”

She could almost hear the blush creep over his face.

“I’m being daft. Sorry. But after all that business with Ricky before…”

“I know, I understand; but we’re adults who are capable of talking these things through. It’s you I want, you silly sausage,” she said affectionately. “Come and have lunch with me tomorrow, and tell me all about your evening of debauchery.”

There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. “Okay, but I’ll miss you tonight.”

“And I’ll miss you, but you need a night off from me.”

“If you say so; although I could do with a full night’s sleep.”

“That’s what I meant,” she maintained. “No doubt you were thinking of something else.”

“You mean the sex? No, that hadn’t entered my mind at all,” he countered.

“Liar! But I love you for it.” With that she blew a kiss down the phone. “See you tomorrow lunchtime.”

“Love you too, gorgeous! See you then.” John ended the phone call feeling much better, and only a modicum of jealousy. He knew she wouldn’t lie to him, and that was all that mattered despite his new found possessiveness. 

 

The later drunken call was quite a surprise; Donna had been expecting a late night call from John but this exceeded expectation for a number reasons. Cautiously, she answered it.

“Hello, babe!” John trilled down the phone.

Babe? Since when was that a name to use? “Are you okay?” she hesitantly asked him.

“Nnn-I’m fine. Just thought I’d give my woman a little late night call.”

“John, you’re drunk,” she then accused him. “I thought you didn’t normally indulge during the week.”

“I don’t,” he readily agreed, “but some arse laced my cranberry juice with some vodka; and I drank a load before I realised.”

That meant he hadn’t been safe to drive. “Then how did you get home?” 

He tenderly crooned, “Aw, you’re worried about your poochy woochy.”

She held the phone away from her ear at this point to wonder where the heck that one had come from! Obviously he was just as gushy in drink as Roderick was.

“I got a lift from Martha,” he continued. “So I’m alright.”

In surprise, she asked, “Martha? You never said she’d be there.”

“Yep,” he declared, carefully popping the ‘p’. “She was there. Couldn’t wait to get me on her own.”

“Good to hear you being so modest,” Donna mocked. “I bet your mum loved you rolling up on her doorstep drunk.”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong.” He giggled with glee. “Mum won’t see me until tomorrow morning. I texted her to say I’m sleeping here.”

“And where exactly is here?” she testily queried.

“Martha’s, of course! Keep up, love,” he grumbled. “So I thought of you,” he then purred, “in your bed, all alone without me… Oh Donna! I want to be with you, right now, right this second.”

“You’ll see me tomorrow,” she promised.

“Yes, but it’s not enough,” he groused. “We should be together every night, in our own bed. I know; when all this farm business is sorted out, marry me, babe!”

“No” she instantly answered.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** it's a simple tale of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back; so here is the losing bit. You probably knew that, so expect angst.

There was the sound of stumbling. “What?!” John cried out in shock. “Don’t you want to marry me?”

“John, this isn’t the time to discuss this. You know it isn’t. Even the other day in the barn wasn’t,” Donna reasoned as calmly as she could. She knew his pain would disappear with his hangover but it didn't mean that she deliberately wanted to upset him. “Nothing good can come out of a drunken promise.”

There followed more spluttering on the other end of the line.

“I suppose you would have accepted if it had been our Ricky asking!” John angrily exploded. “Even Rose’s cousin follows him about like a pet dog.”

“Who? Are you saying Daisy is related to your Rose?” Well didn’t that just about explain everything she had heard?

“Daisy let it slip when I was left alone with her; and I kept quiet about it for your sake, but now I don’t know why I bothered,” he bitterly commented. “You’re not really interested in me.”

“John, that isn’t true,” she defended herself.

“Isn’t it?!” he scoffed. “We were doing so well, me and you; then Ricky shows up and things changed, as per usual,” he continued to whine. “Is it because I won’t have the farm anymore? I tried hard to keep it going.”

“I know you have,” she sympathised. “No one could have tried harder for your parents.”

A loud sniff punctuated the silence. “I gave up Rose for them,” he sullenly confessed, “I had nothing to offer her in the long term. Oh well. At least she was young enough to make a new life for herself.”

Donna felt herself stiffen at his words and then tried to distance herself from the jealous emotion. He was merely being a reminiscent drunk; of course he would sound morose over a lost love. It didn’t mean he thought any less of their current situation. Did it? Doubt began to set in despite her best efforts. It wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t sounded so longing for this Rose girl. 

“Your parents love you very much for putting them first,” she forced herself to say instead of the biting comment she really wanted to make. 

“But you don’t," he stated in drunken remorse. “I had it all planned for Christmas dinner.”

There was no way that she could hold in her gasp of surprise. And there was something else in his little plan that she had to destroy. “Erm... John, I won’t be up here for Christmas dinner. Mum phoned tonight. I think it’s only fair that I go back and spend this Christmas with her and Gramps. He’s not been feeling well..."

“You won’t be here?!” he interrupted her explanation. His angry rapid breathing was the only thing that could be heard for a few seconds as he fought for the right words to express his thoughts and she waited with dread. “This isn’t going anywhere, this between us. I might as well cut my losses while I can. We’re more or less through.”

“John, _please_ don’t be so hasty,” she begged. “This is just the drink talking. Give yourself a break and think it over for at least a couple of days.”

“I might see you when you get back,” he pithily replied, and then the line went dead.

He had hung up on her.

 

The following morning, Donna dragged herself out of bed, even though she really didn’t want to face Jocasta after crying herself to sleep, but it had to be done. Just get the inevitable questions over with, she thought to herself. Her plan was to phone John later and find out how much he remembered saying; and whether any of it still held true. 

Glancing at her phone, the first thing she saw was a text message from Martha: “Just to let you know, I popped into the college to see a patient last night and found a drunk John telling everyone how great you are. I’ve had him crying in my spare bedroom all night. Hopefully you two can work this out.”

Oh dear! That didn’t sound too promising. 

The second thing she saw was a text from Roderick: “I need to speak to you about these texts John sent me all night. Most confusing.”

Then her phone rang as she sat down at her desk to bury herself in some work. “Hello Roddy. How are you?” she listlessly wondered.

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about you. What the hell is going on?” he wondered with deep concern. “I’ve had numerous angry texts from John during the night, saying you two are breaking up and that I’m welcome to have you back. Oh Donna. What happened to cause all this?”

“He erm...” The tears in her voice were probably more than noticeable but she didn’t care anymore. “He phoned me last night when he was drunk, made some sort of proposal, so of course I turned him down. The next thing I know I’m getting a tale of woe about Rose, the farm, and then him threatening to dump me,” she ended, reaching for another tissue to wipe her nose with. “Talk about a train wreck.”

Roderick anxiously pushed a hand through his hair, rapidly thinking of ways he could help make this better. “Let me talk to him when he’s sobered up properly. No doubt he will deeply regret the whole incident. His impulsiveness will be the death of him one day.”

“Roddy, I don’t think you can fix this one. Well, not in your usual way,” she considered.

“You mean I can’t sleep with you? Damn,” he joked, hoping to gain a smile, if only a small one. “If I had you working for me I could have had the farm adjustments and improvements planned out so much quicker, but at the moment that’s neither here nor there. I’ll be up again in a couple of days so I’ll drop by to see you. Just leave it with me and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks Roddy,” she gratefully acknowledged. “How did your journey home go?” she asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“Don’t ask,” he answered with feeling. “It had been a frosty journey home, ending up with Dad demanding to be dropped off at a railway station and me very happily obliging. We exchanged some fierce words that I have no intention of regretting. The miserable old goat! After that row, Daisy started in on me. You can probably guess the sort of thing: she had been alone the whole weekend, why hadn’t I spent it with her; blah blah.”

“I bet that didn’t go down well.”

“Quite,” he agreed. “I’m afraid I was exceedingly riled by that point, so I let rip and told her the truth.”

“Which is?”

“That I am bored with our set up and want it to end,” he divulged. “It has no meaning for me and it probably doesn’t for her either, if I am honest.”

“Poor Daisy,” she tried to sympathise.

“There really is no need to be sympathetic,” he retorted. “I dropped her off outside Harrods with enough money to buy the handbag and matching shoes she had craved. It was all she seemed to care about.”

“I doubt that is true,” Donna insisted. “She thinks a great deal about you.”

“Yes, but thinking and genuinely caring are not the same thing,” he contended. “The fact is, Daisy and I are through.”

“What about her job?”

“If she chooses to leave, I won’t stop her,” he calmly continued. “The job will always be open to you.”

“Yeah, you say that now, flatterer!” she scoffed. “Just talk to John for me.”

Smiling despite himself, Roderick agreed; and ended their call. 

Now was the time for her to attempt her own call to John. It could not be delayed any longer.

 

John stood quietly contemplating the flock of sheep before him. It had taken a while to get them moved, with the help of Jez and without the help of his normal sensibilities. For all he knew this might be the last time he would do such a thing and stand there as the owner of these sheep; because later that day Roderick would sign the papers that would make the farm officially theirs no more. There had been many promises from Ricky concerning his future employment, but it wasn’t written down anywhere; it could all change very easily. 

What did he have to offer beyond himself? That brought back the hurtful memories from his time spent wallowing in Martha’s spare bed. It had been a terrible night full of personal sorrow and recriminations. Yet again it had been certainly proved to him why he should never get drunk. Too many suppressed emotions had been brought to the fore. 

A cold wind picked up, forcing him to squint against the sunlight that was far too cheery for such a day. Had he really told Donna they were through? Already his heart constricted and threatened to break under the thought. But he had to do it; for her. She deserved better than him. 

At that moment the phone in his pocket rang loudly. It was with relief that he saw it was Donna.

“Hello,” he greeted her as he pressed the receive button.

“Hello John.” Donna was immensely relieved that he was prepared to take her call. “How are you feeling today?”

“Not so great. Tired, cold, jobless. You know; that sort of thing,” he emptily admitted. 

“Jobless?!” she cried out.

“Yes, I found out this morning. They pushed the paperwork through quicker than I had anticipated. Ricky gets to sign the final papers today.” There was no way that he could hide his bitterness, and he had no intention either. “From this afternoon it all belongs to Ricky. I should hear later what else that will mean.”

“I’m so sorry,” she softly empathised. 

“Me too,” he replied flatly, “but it can’t be helped. It’s a good job you turned down my proposal. Although you probably knew all about this when you said it.”

“I didn’t,” she countered. “There’s no reason why I should. I turned you down because you were drunk and would regret it when you sobered up, you numpty.”

Ignoring her fond tone, he continued, “It doesn’t matter now. I have nothing to offer you.”

“I think you do, so stop putting yourself down.”

“We’ll see,” he remarked, dismissing her words as a fanciful dream. “You’re better off without me.”

“Now listen here, John Smith; I didn’t come to you expecting to bag a rich landowner,” she blazed. “I happen to think you are gorgeous no matter what. You could be a road-sweeper and I’d still consider you.” 

His voice was so despondent. “Fine words, Donna, and I wish I could believe you; but the truth is I’m on the brink of possibly being homeless and jobless.”

This needed sterner words. “Okay, I can see I’m going to be tough with you. First, Roddy won’t kick you out to fend for yourself, and even if he did, you could come live with me. Second, you still have your college job, and as you yourself said, they are desperate for people with your knowledge to teach. There’ll always be a job somewhere for you.”

“That’s maybe, but I don’t know for sure; and that kills me.” He raised a hand to wipe down his face, willing the bitter wind to make him completely numb. “We need some time apart. We’ve rushed into this without thinking and I can’t trust myself anymore.”

“Trust? Trust yourself to do what?” she fearfully asked.

He let out a small sob. “Trust myself to do something utterly stupid. If I accidentally made you pregnant I’d never forgive myself.”

“That would be partly my fault too,” she reasoned. “It takes two to tango. But we’ve been as careful as we can be.”

“Accidents happen,” he proclaimed. “No, I won’t risk anything until I’m more settled and know what’s happening. That’s why I’m going to insist that we split for a while.”

“Oh!” was all she could think of saying. If his mind was made up, how could she force him to change his mind? He had to want her on his own terms, after all.

“I’ll call you when… if I know things are okay.” Wanting the pain to end, he added, “Bye then.”

“Bye and merry Christmas,” she limply responded. What else could she do? She would have to bide her time.

Ending the call, she inevitably sobbed her heart out for the rest of the day.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** the illustrations here were provided by the wonderful  & lovely [dreamerbee](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerbee/pseuds/dreamerbee). :)

True to his word, Roderick arrived back in Donna’s world a couple of days later.

“How are things going with John?” he had immediately asked. 

“Not so good,” she admitted. “What about you?”

“Ah,” he stated sadly. “Things are tricky between us at the moment. I had to take the new farm manager there this morning, and the atmosphere was very frosty; but I keep telling John that he is still on the payroll, in an advisory capacity. He won’t believe me.”

“I’m sorry, Roddy,” she mumbled. “If I had accepted his proposal all this wouldn’t have happened.”

“I fear it would have done. At least Aunt Verity approved the barn conversion plans, so I can get that underway,” he commented. “And I had a chance to talk with Uncle Sydney… I mean my father, for a while.”

She placed a hand on his arm. “That must have been…”

“Yes, it was; but it went better than I expected, so that’s encouraging.” He smiled warmly at her. “It was even rather nice.”

“What about your Dad? Donald, I mean. Have you seen him lately?”

“Not much. I’ve restricted his access to everything, and it’s on a need to know basis only. It’s quite liberating, actually. Like coming out from under a rock. I’ve achieved a great deal by talking with my family; apart from the erm, the whole ‘you’ business. Aunt Verity is very supportive of you, by the way; they both are. So that’s another mark in your favour.”

“And John? How did he seem?” she tried not to ask, but relented.

“Same as ever, I’m afraid. He’s been doing a lot of sitting with Jez by his side, staring out into space.” A grimace flitted across his face. “If all goes well he’ll be hearing some good news from the college in a few days.”

“What sort of news?”

“One that I pushed into being because they couldn’t make a decision if their life depended on it,” he enigmatically replied. “It should cheer him up though.”

“Roddy, you didn’t!” she squealed.

“No, I didn’t, not really,” he calmly denied. “A patient of Martha’s knew the outcome, and as I suspected, they wanted him but were faffing about over telling him. Now they will.”

Relief flooded her on John’s behalf. “You really are a Mr Fix-It under that bluff exterior, aren’t you?”

He merely ruefully waved off the compliment. “Don’t go telling everyone I do good deeds or I’ll be inundated”

 

“I worry dreadfully about you driving back to London on your own,” Jocasta stated as the three of them sat eating a simple dinner together. 

Donna pretended otherwise. “I’ll be fine”

“You could travel with me, if you like; it would be no bother to bring you back after Christmas,” Roderick offered.

“I couldn’t,” she spluttered whilst giving the idea serious consideration. 

“There you go! Splendid,” Jocasta praised. She really didn’t think her friend was capable of safely driving home so this news was immensely welcomed. “Just make sure that you hurry back to me. I’m using you as my excuse to cut short my stay at my sister’s, remember,”

So before Donna could protest any further it was arranged. She would travel with Roderick, spend Christmas with her family and then return well in time for the New Year. Even Rodrick looked pleased about it.

“We can keep in touch over the holiday and help you ward off unwanted thoughts,” he had whispered during the dessert course. “If we are going to be on our own this season, we might as well be lonely together,” he reasoned.

Donna had laughed at that. “You’re just after conning a Christmas dinner out of my mother!” Strangely enough the thought of him in the role of fairy godfather was pushing it a bit far. It’d be different, that was for sure.

 

“Are you ready, Donna?” Roderick asked as he picked up her suitcase. The gentleman in him had insisted that he carry it.

She swept her gaze one last time over her bedroom to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything; especially Christmas presents. All except John’s, that is. His one sat hidden behind the wardrobe door. “I think so,” she replied with a sigh. “Let’s be on our way to London.”

“You don’t have to go home for Christmas, you know,” he pointed out, revelling in his new position of official friend to her and mediator for John.

Despondently she replied, “I know, but Mum would kill me if I didn’t go back for a few days and I’m worried about Gramps.”

“John still cares about you,” he added in a much quieter voice.

“Perhaps he does,” she allowed, “but we shall see.” 

They silently made their way down the ancient staircase and, having said to goodbye to Jocasta with promises to return soon, out to the waiting car. William welcomed them in, and Donna sat herself on the back seat while Roderick made his way round to the other side of the car to get in beside her.

He smiled reassuringly at her and lifted his arm in invitation. In response, she quickly snuggled into his embrace. “He really does love you,” he whispered into her hair. “Have a sleep; you look tired.” 

Placing a delicate kiss on her temple, he let her slowly fall asleep on him and he tried to come up with a plausible solution. John had already missed out on far too much of life’s delights, and Roderick was determined that Donna would get the man she wanted, if it couldn’t be him. Mentally he pencilled himself in as a possible replacement should the absolute worst happen; but that was merely a pipedream. For now he would keep her as safe and happy as he could; he owed it to her for the way he had behaved in the past. 

“Roddy,” she murmured from next to his chest.

“Yes, pet?” he queried.

“Thank you,” came the mumbled reply, and then Donna let herself drift away.

 

“Ah, the wanderer returns,” John greeted the sight of Roderick the day after Boxing Day, outside the farmhouse door. They briefly hugged, enjoying this new development between them. “Couldn’t keep away from us for long, I see, and come to cadge a breakfast. How was London?”

“London doesn’t have the same appeal anymore,” Roderick confessed. “Things are still strained between Dad and I, but it is of my own choosing now rather than his. I prefer the air up here. It’s clearer.”

“Where did you end up eating after all?” John wondered, since he had turned down his mother’s offer.

“Sylvia Noble was kind enough to invite me,” Roderick cautiously admitted. “It was good to see them all again. Wilf was looking particularly peaky, I thought.”

“Oh,” John exhaled in interest, resisting asking the question that was uppermost in his mind. 

It was time to stop skating around the facts, Roderick decided. “Donna tried to be lively, but her heart wasn’t in it. All she has done is worry.”

“What about?” John blurted out before he could stop himself.

“Wilf isn’t well, but her main concern is you,” Roderick informed him.

His heart clenched with pain. “Me?”

“Yes. She wants to know when you’ll stop being an idiot. I think you should know that she is seriously considering a job offer elsewhere.”

“London?” John murmured; wondering how he’d cope if he couldn’t see her every day.

Roderick ignored that, letting him think it, and pressed on with, “She also seems to be under the impression that you ran straight to Martha’s charms to console yourself. I tried to dissuade her, I really did. Oh, and I forgot to give you this…” He handed over a brown envelope. “It’s your first payslip.”

John quickly pulled out the paper and then gasped with surprise when he read it. “This is… it’s too much!”

“On the contrary, it is enough,” Roderick countered. “I told you that you were no longer a farm labourer; you are a consultant. And that is an apt fee for your knowledge.” 

“But this means that…,” John spluttered in realisation, unable to take in the enormity of it. 

“That you are finally earning a decent wage, you have job security, and you will soon have a custom-built home,” Roderick confirmed. “There’s nothing stopping you now; and Donna is sitting at Jocasta’s cottage. I brought her back with me.”

“Ricky, you are…!” John was overcome with emotion. “And I’ve been a bloody idiot for not believing you. You’ve given me my life back, and more.”

“You won’t mind if I don’t disagree, will you.”

“No,” John happily stated. “Oh God, what do I do now? Will she forgive me?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” There followed a shooing of hands. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go and see her. There’s no time like the present.”

Panic immediately set in. “Yes. But I… Where did I put her present? Am I dressed okay? Oh great, it’s bloody raining now! Just what I need. The Land Rover is around here somewhere. Do I need to shave?”

“Just go!” Roderick urged him, laughing with clear amusement. “I’ll tell Aunt Verity where you are.”

He really didn’t need the thanks that was thrown his way. Instead, he sent a quick text message to Jocasta as he entered the farmhouse. All of this was his Christmas present, and he was making the most of it.

The rain absolutely teemed down; so much so that by the time John reached Lilac Cottage his bravado had disappeared, to leave doubt in its place. Screwing up the last of his courage, but holding on to his desperation, he knocked on the door.

A few seconds later Donna stood there before him, her expression inviting him to explain himself as she stepped aside for him to enter. “Yes?” 

Water dripped forlornly from the bedraggled ends of his fringe and his long eyelashes as he physically whimpered on the doormat. “I had to come and see you and tell you I’ve been a right idiot. Please don’t go. Don’t leave me. I am so sorry about the last couple of days.”

The cold-hearted part of her wanted to hurt him, wanted some sort of revenge; whilst the rest of her wanted to throw her arms around him and never let go. “You don’t need me anymore, John. I’ve been replaced, again,” she bitterly stated. “It’s for the best, all the way round. Roderick has arranged everything.”

The set of his mouth turned grim. “Whatever he’s told you, it isn’t true.”

“Then what is the truth?” she asked, surprising him by leaning to grab and then handing over a large towel, from a nearby laundry basket, to rub on his head.

She then gingerly sat down on the sofa, watching him.

“Thanks. The truth?” He stopped towelling his head for a second to peer at her from underneath it. “I wasn’t a monk at university but I can’t honestly say I was a wild partygoer. There was the odd groupie vibe from certain girls, that one bad experience with Daisy’s relative; but the Martha thing started very innocently.”

“Oh, I’m liking this story already,” Donna sarcastically commented and sat down to listen. To her chagrin, he sat down by her side.

“Please, don’t be like that. All I did was kiss her happy new year at a friend’s party the one time I was able to go back and visit old university friends. It hadn’t been more than that, but she tagged on to me after that, and to be honest, I did like the attention. Who wouldn’t?”

Her eyes narrowed in anger. “So this is you merely liking the attention from me? It’s all about you wanting to show off to your parents and Roderick in particular!” she spat out. “Martha had the good sense to bail when she realised you weren’t really interested, but you thought stupid old me would hang on so that you could bleed me dry. Well, you’re too late. Between you and your cousin you’ve already done it. There’s nothing more to give.”

“Nothing?” he asked in shocked tones. “But Donna, I don’t think of you like that at all. You make it sound as bad as our Ricky warding off his problem with Daisy.”

“What problem would you say it is?”

“Loneliness,” he instantly answered.

She hadn’t expected that; she’d expected it to be purely sexual. It made strange sense. “What about you?” she asked more softly.

There was a slight hesitation then he admitted, “The same; completely the same.”

“What was life like before you erm... you met me?” she asked hesitantly.

“Lonely; so bloody lonely,” he murmured in reply. “Sort of stab yourself in the leg lonely.”

She couldn’t help giving him a smile of encouragement then. “That bad then?”

“Yes.” He then decided it was time to lay all his cards on the table and confess everything. “When I saw you that first day, hanging on the bottom field gate, waving your arms about to catch my attention, I couldn’t believe you were a real person. I thought you were an angel.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted in embarrassment.

“It’s true,” he emphasised. “That’s why I was so stunned that you spoke to me. You are so beautiful, inside and out. Not perfectly beautiful like a doll, but warm, soft and gorgeous in a real way. You won my heart without even trying.” By this point he had reached out and taken hold of her hands, to hold them possessively within his own. “I came here today not to stop you going if you have to, but I obviously don’t want you to go back to London; since I’ve brought it up, you know, so please keep it in mind for future reference. I need you to... No, I want you to know.... I love you. I know I’ve said that before but we were usually in the middle of doing _it_ , or had just finished doing _it_ , so I came here to prove that I can say the love thing at other less incriminating times. Not that I didn’t mean it when I said it during... _thingy_ , and for the record, all our times together were wonderful; gloriously so! Oh my god it was good. But please don’t think that’s the only reason I love you. And erm,” he pondered the subject for some seconds. “I think that’s it. Yes, I’m sure it is. The point being that I love you, not the whole I want to have sex with you thing, although if lovemaking is ever offered in the future I’d willingly consider it if and when you are ready. Have I said it enough to convince you yet? The loving you bit, because I really do.”

“Wow!” she exclaimed under her breath, having let him ramble on. “That must be the most I’ve ever heard you say in one go.”

“Is that it?” he asked in disappoint, biting his lip forlornly. “That’s all I’m getting?!”

“I dunno. Bring that pouty bottom lip over here and let me answer you properly,” she teased, drawing him closer and leaning invitingly towards him. 

 

As they sat exchanging kisses and unspoken declarations, Jocasta listened on the staircase, wanting to jump for joy. Not only was her friend happy again, but she had the perfect ending for her book figured out in her head. 

 

**The End**


End file.
